On Wednesday, in a sign of how serious a pickle Fillon is in, the French media began openly speculating who could replace him as presidential candidate for Les Republicains party. On Wednesday Republicains MP Philippe Gosselin admitted that while it was a touchy subject party officials, MPs and supporters were asking questions about plan B. That plan B could involve asking Alain Juppé, whom Fillon defeated in the primary, to stand as the candidate. Another Les Republicains MP Benoist Apparu told L'Opinion: "There is a real and heavy anxiety. Joulard replaced Fillon as MP in 2002 and continued to employ Penelope on wages that topped €7,000 a month.

Source: The Local February 01, 2017 10:25 UTC