Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the former young star of France’s far-right Front National, is to speak at a high-profile US gathering of conservatives and Republicans outside Washington this week, addressing the event shortly after the US vice-president, Mike Pence. Maréchal-Le Pen – who is more religious and socially conservative than her aunt, the far-right leader Marine Le Pen – has been invited to speak an hour after Pence at the event, the day before Donald Trump appears on the same stage.

The 27-year-old, who a year ago announced she was temporarily withdrawing from politics, will be the second headliner to appear on the first full day of speeches at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, along with Republican lawmakers, conservative media figures and veterans. The Brexit champion and former Ukip leader Nigel Farage will also attend after receiving a warm welcome last year, when he praised Trump’s “quite remarkable” election victory.(theguardian)…[+]