Tens of thousands of people turned out in the rain to rally around him on Sunday. But his handling of the allegations against him, and the media attention surrounding them, have also marked a sharp change in tone for France‘s most establishment presidential candidate, with new tactics borrowed from the populist playbook.

Sunday‘s rally was initially described by Mr Fillon as a protest against political interference in the judiciary. He has complained of an „institutional coup d‘etat“, suggesting that the Socialist government is behind the allegations currently being investigated.