Nicolas Sarkozy, formally declared his hand for the French presidency last night. Mr Sarkozy, the Interior Minister and leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), promised a radical break with the usual ways of French leadership if he is elected in May. This rupture would make France a model again. "I have the ambition to create a new relationship with the French that rests on two words — confidence and respect," he said in interviews with regional newspapers. Mr Sarkozy promised to bring France closer to the United States and restore incentives for people to work. He played down fears that he would curb the country's generous welfare state: "I think the State and public services must not be condemned to impotence. They have their role in the modern society that I want to build." Besides, the presidential contender stands against "unlimited" enlargement of the EU and Turkey's accession to the Union.