Fall from grace

But the row highlighted the fall from grace of the ethnically diverse women Sarkozy once promoted but later cast aside, who are now rebelling. The former young sports minister, Rama Yade, outspoken and hugely popular, has not only quit the government: she has left Sarkozy's party.

His father fell from grace with the emperor.

The cyclist fell from grace because of steroids and lies.

The row started over who will run for parliament in a wealthy rightwing constituency on the left bank in Paris, a safe seat for Sarkozy's ruling UMP. Dati is already a local mayor in the neighbourhood, a job felt to have been handed to her on a plate when she was a Sarkozy favourite. She has since fallen from grace, and when she left government she took a European parliament seat, considered a consolation prize.