Paris: Brigitte Macron, France's first lady, has urged the country to "have faith" in her husband Emmanuel as his approval ratings collapsed to 40 per cent ahead of a crunch week for the new President.

Her comments came just two days before Mr Macron's government was to unveil the details of crucial labour reforms to unions.

At the couple's country home in the northern seaside resort of Le Touquet, Mrs Macron, 64, was asked whether she had a message for her compatriots for la rentre - the French term for the return to school and work after the long summer break.

"They must have faith," she told BFM TV. "I tell them that my husband is doing everything to ensure that [la rentre] takes place as best as possible."

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has reportedly also appealed for people to give Mr Macron more time, saying it was "too early to make appraisals".

Aware that his lofty style has started to grate on the French, Mr Macron, 39, has promised to talk to the nation once or twice a month and on Tuesday named a new spokesman for the Elysee Palace, journalist Bruno Roger-Petit.

At a gathering of French diplomats on Monday, his relatively inexperienced cabinet was urged to be more forceful in defending his reforms and countering claims that his presidency is more spin than substance.

Mrs Macron's plea for people to trust her husband came as the President pronounced the fight against "Islamist terrorism" his top priority as he outlined France's foreign policy goals.

"France's security is the main purpose of our diplomacy," he told 170 diplomats, pledging to focus on achieving concrete results, from brokering peace talks in Libya to leading efforts to address Europe's migrants crisis.

"Restoring peace and stability - Iraq then Syria - is vital priority for France," he said.

He proposed creating a new "contact group" including the other permanent members of the UN Security Council to help handle negotiations with Syria. The group will first meet at the United Nations in New York next month.

Mr Macron also announced the organisation in Paris of an international summit "against the financing of terrorism" at the beginning of next year.

In Libya, a key country in Africa's unstable Sahel region, Mr Macron said only a political process would help "eradicating terrorists". He vowed to help Libya's neighbours, especially Tunisia, to protect those nations against the risk of destabilisation.

Mr Macron touched on Brexit, saying negotiations over Britain leaving the EU "should not take up all our energy".

"I would rather build the future than go over the past," he said, pledging new initiatives on the future of the EU bloc after German elections in September.

Since taking office in May, France's youngest leader since Napoleon has won plaudits in handling tricky leaders from US President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the French are expressing scepticism over his reforms, and displeasure at austerity measures as his government seeks to honour state deficit commitments.

His labour reform proposal, a sticking point for millions of workers ready to go back to the streets in protest, is due on Thursday.

Telegraph, London; AP