Boris Johnson heads off on summer holiday just weeks before leaving No 10
Boris Johnson will start his summer holiday today, despite his premiership ending in less than five weeks time.
Downing Street would not give details of where the Prime Minister would be spending his time off from Wednesday until the end of the week.
But the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said Mr Johnson will remain in charge of the country and be receiving updates as required.
The outgoing leader will not have long left in office upon his return, with rivals Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in a contest to replace him in No 10 by 6 September.
The holiday comes as the government faces growing pressure over the cost of living crisis, as critics say its coming £400 energy bill discounts won't go far enough for the most vulnerable.
Fuel bills for drivers and food prices have also risen due to the increased price of fossil fuels, as inflation surges to its highest levels in 40 years.
Asked who would be in charge while Mr Johnson was away, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It will be the standard pattern.
“The Prime Minister will be updated as required… the Deputy Prime Minister and, as ever with a Cabinet government, other ministers will be on hand to support as needed.”
Boris and wife Carrie Johnson last weekend threw a wedding party at the grand Cotswolds estate of a major Tory donor.
The PM celebrated their nuptials with a wider circle, after the pandemic forced them to scale back festivities to a small wedding at Westminster Cathedral last year.
Mr and Mrs Johnson had originally been planning to throw their wedding party at the Prime Minister's official country residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire.
He faced backlash over the plans after he announced his plans to leave office, and the PM and his wife instead hosted family and friends at 18th-century Daylesford House.
Some of Mr Johnson’s previous trips have sparked controversy.
The PM was reported to have begun a holiday in Somerset while the Taliban was advancing on Afghanistan’s capital last summer, before he swiftly returned to Westminster.
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A few weeks later he came under scrutiny again when he left Downing Street for a four-day trip with his family as Britons and Afghans remained stranded after the withdrawal of forces from Kabul.
At the time, No 10 declined to describe the trip as a holiday, and insisted he was “continuing to work”.
And a Spanish holiday in a villa owned by the family of minister Lord Goldsmith, also in 2021, drew criticism over transparency.
Labour criticised Mr Johnson for declaring a free holiday at the Mustique villa with Mrs Johnson on the list of ministers’ interests, but not on the parliamentary register
The parliamentary register requires the publication of more details such, as the value of the stay.