Dominique de Villepin, France’s prime minister, was accused on Tuesday of losing his sang-froid after resorting to a state of emergency to quell riots that have set the suburbs of France’s biggest cities alight during the past 12 days.

The accusations came as France was hit by a 13th night of violence - though less serious than the peak of two nights ago - incidents were reported in the cities of Toulouse, Amiens and Lyon.