Marine Le Pen has promised to “put back the borders” if she is elected French President, pledging a freeze on long-term visas and a tax on companies that hire foreign workers.

Speaking at a rally in Paris, Ms. Le Pen promised to restore France’s “Four Sovereignties”, telling supporters:

“The European Union is imposing double trouble on us: the lack of physical borders with the irresponsible Schengen Treaty.

“We got rid of our physical borders and that turned our countries into train stations for all immigrants around the world. I will end Schengen and restore our national borders.

“No other candidate is proposing this, none of them.”

Libération also reports she pledged to introduce “much more drastic, more reasonable, more humane, more manageable rules” on immigration.

Ms. Le Pen is currently running neck-and-neck with independent Emmanuel Macron the polls for the first round of the presidential election, with establishment conservative François Fillon and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon following very close behind.

The closeness of the figures, and the unreliability of French polling, means any of the four candidates could potentially make it through to the second round run-off two weeks later.

Far-left firebrand Mélenchon also held a rally in Paris on Monday, proudly declaring: “I am very dangerous.

“They make up stuff every day. All their systems are built on fear. Keep the fire of rebellion burning inside you!”

Meanwhile, Mr. Macron, the only openly Europhile candidate told his own rally: “We need Europe my friends, so we will rebuild it… I will rebuild a strong and balanced alliance, thanks to you, with Germany in order to give back Europe a real dynamic.”