Report: French Interior Minister Collomb insists on resigning

Paris (dpa) - French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb on Tuesday told newspaper Le Figaro that he still wants to quit, despite President Emmanuel Macron rejecting his resignation the previous day.Collomb‘s remarks came as the conservative opposition slammed centrist Macron for keeping him in the sensitive portfolio, responsible for security and the fight against terrorism.At a rowdy session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe hinted that he would press Macron to replace Collomb."I will exercise my full constitutional functions, I will defend the security of the French people, and I will put the necessary decisions before the president of the republic," Philippe told lawmakers.Collomb said last month that he would run in 2020 for mayor of Lyon, a position he held from 2001 until Macron appointed him minister after winning last year‘s presidential election.But his suggestion that he could remain interior minister until mid-2019 led the opposition to charge that Macron was keeping a lame duck minister in charge of France‘s internal security.The controversy over Collomb‘s position is the latest in a series of political blows for Macron, who is performing poorly in opinion polls.The president‘s summer was overshadowed by a scandal over an alleged attack on protesters by a security aide.And the new political season was marred by the resignation live on air in late August of popular environment minister Nicolas Hulot, who said the government was not doing enough on environmental issues.