France's justice minister Francois Bayrou, a key ally of President Emmanuel Macron, told AFP Wednesday he was quitting the government, as his party battles a funding scandal.

"I have taken a decision not to be part of the next government," Bayrou said, adding that he would hold a press conference at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT). Bayrou's small centrist MoDem party is facing allegations it used European parliamentary funds to pay assistants actually based in France.