French premier François Bayrou has staked his government’s survival on striking a deal with the Socialist party, betting he can offer concessions to convince left-leaning MPs to pass a belt-tightening budget.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou proposed scrapping two public holidays and freezing most public spending as part of a 43.8 billion euro ($50.88 billion) budget squeeze he outlined on Tuesday.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has proposed removing two public holidays, among other measures, to boost the nation’s economy as it stands “in mortal danger” of being crushed by debt.

The measure most likely to rankle the French was a proposal to scrap two national holidays: Easter Monday and May 8, which commemorates the end of the Second World War in Europe and is often used as a “bridge” by the French to take a four-day weekend in the middle of spring.