French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has thrown his support behind a proposal to bring back brothels, denouncing what he said was "hypocrisy" over sex work.

Brothels, or "maisons closes", existed in their hundreds in France before they were outlawed in 1946.

A member of Bardella's far-right National Rally party plans to submit a bill that would allow brothels to re-open and be run as cooperatives by sex workers themselves.

"We can set up secure enclosed spaces to prevent this activity, which exists regardless of what we do, from taking place in extremely unsanitary and unsafe conditions," Bardella said in televised remarks Saturday.

"For me, this is a safety issue," said the 30-year-old politician and contender for president in France's 2027 elections.

"I think that closed premises

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