French Prime Minister Manuel Valls promised yesterday to unveil more tax cuts for households this year, saying the triumph of the far-right National Front in European elections showed the French were fed up with years of tax rises.

Valls stressed France would still make the budget savings needed to bring its public deficit within EU limits. But, in a potential sign of clashes ahead, left-wingers in the ruling Socialist party said the poll results vindicated their opposition to such cuts.

The anti-immigrant, anti-EU party of Marine Le Pen finished first in France with 25 per cent of the vote, winning its first ever nationwide poll in a slap both to the ruling Socialists and also opposition conservatives.

Anti-immigrant, anti-EU party of Le Pen finished first in France

President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party scored 13.98 percent, its worst ever performance in an EU election, while the centre-right UMP stood at 20.80 per cent, further behind the FN than predicted by pre-vote opinion polls.

Valls, who on Sunday night called the FN win a political “earthquake” for founding EU member France, said it showed the government had to push ahead with plans to lower taxes after many French were faced this year with sharply higher claims.

“We need more tax cuts .. there must be, because it [the tax burden] has become unbearable,” Valls told RTL radio when asked if such a move would be included in future budget plans to be unveiled at the end of the year.