Emmanuel Macron, the centrist French presidential contender, struggled to get his campaign back on track on Saturday after losing his poll lead over controversial remarks on France’s colonial record and gay marriage.

Mr Macron had overtaken François Fillon, the conservative candidate and former favourite embroiled in a corruption scandal, but the latest polls indicate that the two candidates are now neck-and-neck.

Mr Macron provoked outrage on the Right by describing colonial rule as a “crime against humanity” during a visit to Algeria, once the jewel in France’s imperial crown.

The 39-year-old independent, a relative political newcomer, then infuriated Left-wing supporters by trying to reach out to Right-wingers who opposed gay marriage, saying they had been stigmatised and “humiliated” under President Hollande’s Socialist government.