French interior mister Gerald Darmanin has defended Marlene Schiappa's playboy cover photoshoot.

The minister for the social economy was fully clothed for the shoot for the April edition of the magazine in France.

She tweeted about her decision to pose for the photographs, saying: "Defending the right of women to do what they want with their bodies: everywhere and all the time. In France, women are free. Whether it annoys the retrogrades and hypocrites or not."

Speaking about the controversial move, Darmanin said: "Being a free woman is never easy."