Rishi Sunak will be breathing a sigh of relief today after MPs quit Parliament for the half-term recess and returned to their constituencies.
Bitter Tory divisions have burst into the open again this week after the ex-PM Boris Johnson was referred to the police over further allegations of lockdown-busting gatherings.
The Prime Minister also clung onto his Home Secretary Suella Braverman - despite facing demands to launch an investigation into whether she had broken the ministerial code.
And there was a major row between the official Covid inquiry chairwoman and the Cabinet Office over access to unredacted WhatsApp messages from Mr Johnson.
Amid the chaos, the Government dumped a huge batch of written statements, documents and announcements on the final day before the parliamentary recess.
The Mirror has trawled through the news that slipped out on the last day before recess. They wouldn't want you to miss anything would they?
Animal welfare bill ditched
Rishi Sunak was accused of an "astonishing betrayal" after scrapping a flagship animal welfare bill first unveiled by Boris Johnson.
The Conservatives' 2019 election manifesto promised to introduce new laws on animal welfare, including banning exports of livestock for slaughter and tackling puppy smuggling.
The Kept Animals Bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle in 2021 - but has failed to progress since as ministers stalled on the legislation.
In an statement on Thursday, Environment Minister Mark Spencer, announced the Bill had been ditched.
Bizarrely, however, he insisted the key measures proposed in the legislation will still be brought forward "individually" before the next general election - expected in 2024.
The move led to outrage from animal welfare groups, including the RSPCA.
Asylum backlog hits new record
During the summer Tory leadership campaign Rishi Sunak pledged to “bust” the asylum backlog - but new figures yesterday showed it hit a record high.
Home Office statistics published on Thursday revealed the number waiting for an initial decision rose from 166,261 to 172,758.
No10 was also forced to slap down Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick after he told MPs speeding up asylum decisions could act as a pull factor for those seeking refuge.
Mr Jenrick told the Commons it was "not correct" that processing illegal migrants' claims faster would reduce arrivals and "in all likelihood it'll lead to an increase".
But the PM’s spokesman said: "What we are focusing on is reducing the numbers, tackling that backlog is the right approach.”
Legal aid changes spark inflation warning
Reforms to the legal aid system will mean an additional six million vulnerable people are eligible for assistance in criminal and civil cases.
But experts warned that the eligibility criteria had not been updated in line with inflation.
“Widening eligibility for civil and criminal legal aid is an important step in the right direction and something we have long been pushing for,” said Law Society President Lubna Shuja.
“Increased eligibility is long overdue, but if thresholds are not regularly increased with inflation the cost-of-living crisis will mean more and more people are going to fall back through the justice gap.”
40 new hospitals pledge in doubt
The Tories have admitted that eight new hospitals promised by Boris Johnson will be delayed after a decision was taken to prioritise crumbling buildings.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay admitted that some of the original facilities will not be completed by the end of the decade as focus is shifting to five hospitals deemed "not safe to operate beyond 2030".
The addition of these hospitals and three new mental health facilities to the list means "not all work will be completed by 2030" on all the sites in Boris Johnson's manifesto pledge, Mr Barclay said.
He claimed the shake-up "meets our manifesto commitment to build 40 hospitals by 2030" - but with a different list of hospitals.
The flagship manifesto vow has already come under fire after it emerged that some of the schemes were refurbishments or simply additions of extra units.
One in ten childcare providers think they’ll close
A report on childcare found many providers expect they will have to close because of rising costs.
The government conducted a survey of 1,857 providers, including childminders and school-based services. Just 2% said they planned to close in the next six months.
But one in 10 said it was “likely” would have to close.
Commissioners sent into debt-ridden council
The Government has ordered commissioners to effectively run Woking Borough Council which is mired in debt.
In a written statement, Local Government Minister Lee Rowley said it was the “most indebted council in England” with debt forecast to hit an eye-watering £2.4billion in 2024/25.
The Surrey council, which had been Conservative-led, got into hot water after a spending spree on commercial property.
Lib Dem leader Ann-Marie Baker, whose party took control last year, said: “My administration is very clear about the huge challenges facing the council due to the legacy of both the extraordinarily high and disproportionate levels of debt that we have inherited from the previous administration.
"We are also very clear and focused on the significant risks that the council is now facing up to as a result of that debt.
“We also recognise that these challenges are so significant that the council and its officers cannot deal with these on its own.”
