Emmanuel Macron last night vowed to ‘defend Europe’ minutes after becoming France’s youngest leader since Napoleon.

Macron, 39, beat far-right National Front (FN) candidate Marine Le Pen, 48, in an election that will have widespread repercussions for the future of Europe.

He has previously stated he will not give Britain an easy Brexit deal and even branded the UK’s departure from the EU ‘a crime’.

And on Sunday, an official preliminary result released at 8pm local time showed Macron received two thirds of the vote and had earned a clear victory over Le Pen.

Just 15 minutes after the exit polls were announced, Le Pen conceded and revealed she phoned Macron to ‘congratulate’ him on his election victory.

Later in the evening, Macron addressed thousands of his adoring supporters who had gathered at his election victory rally outside the Louvre in central Paris.