PARIS — The French government won’t rush to pass a bill that would have allowed businesses such as bakeries, flower shops and butchers to stay open on May 1. Lawmakers from the conservative Les Républicains and French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party last week tried to effectively fast-track the measure through the parliamentary process in the hopes of getting the legislation passed by this year’s Labor Day holiday. But Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who has throughout his tenure taken a slow, cautious approach to sensitive legislation, said Monday evening on X that the government would slow down the process to pursue “in-depth” talks with stakeholders.

“Reforms are possible: with respect and a systematic approach,” Lecornu said. France currently only allows businesses deemed essential, including restaurants, to remain fully open. The owners of nonessential shops can operate on the holiday but only without employees.

Lecornu’s decision led to a public rift with the leader of his party, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Attal, one of the bill’s most vocal supporters, said on X that he deplored the government’s decision. Left-wing parties and trade unions, meanwhile, welcomed Lecornu’s move.