Boris Johnson 's allies are pushing for the former Prime Minister to make an extraordinary political comeback amid Liz Truss 's resignation - but once again, Mr Johnson is away enjoying a boujee holiday as yet another political storm takes place on UK soil.
Just six weeks after he left No 10 for the final time, forced out by his own MPs after one scandal too many, supporters are urging him to run again for a second shot. While he has neither confirmed if he is in or out, it is believed he is planning to jet back from his family vacation in an exclusive Caribbean island resort.
If he does contend, he must secure 100 nominations from the party's 357 MPs - a target that some at Westminster believe may be beyond him. But the ex-PM is said to be reassuring them that he is their only chance of avoiding electoral wipe-out as Labour surges in the polls.
And diehard loyalist Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, said he had hinted strongly to her that he was preparing to run. "He is a known winner and that is certainly who I'm putting my name against because I want us to win the general election," she told Sky News. "Having a winner in place is what the party needs to survive".
Throughout Boris's term as Prime Minister, he was blasted for being on jollies abroad amid chaos for the country. While everyone deserves a break, it appeared that some of his trips were horrifically timed.
Even as the outgoing Prime Minister, still on the taxpayers' watch, he was criticised for escaping to Greece for his second vacation of the month. He was on the beach at a time when the Tory leadership race was unresolved and the cost of living crisis was spiralling each day.
Mr Johnson, 58, and his wife Carrie Johnson, 34, were filmed in a supermarket at Nea Makri, a coastal town east of Athens, just a few hours away from his father Stanley Johnson's villa.
Downing Street admitted that he would not be working on his holiday unless he was needed urgently, with a Labour spokesperson responding: "On the evidence of the last few months it seems to make little difference if the Prime Minister is in the office or on holiday as he has continually failed to meet the challenge of the Tory cost of living crisis.
"It's all just one big party for Boris Johnson while the country struggles to pay their bills."
Earlier in the summer, he hosted a lavish wedding reception at Tory donor Lord Bamford's 18th-century manor Daylesford House in the Cotswolds. And later, Boris and Carrie, along with their children Wilfred and Romy, celebrated their 'mini-moon' in the mountains of Slovenia.
The family resided at the five-star resort Vila Planinka eco-hotel, situated in the Kokra Valley, which prides itself on "soothing energies" and wood-panelled rooms.
"We've climbed every available mountain, we've jumped in the lakes, we've been on bicycles," Mr Johnson told reporters.
"We've seen incredible things, huge caves and salamanders!"
Owner Katja Batajelj also revealed they indulged in local delicacies including "bear cheeks and bear prosciutto", the Evening Standard reports.
The summer before, Mr Johnson and his family holidayed at Tory peer Zac Goldsmith's mansion in Marbella, which boasts 13 rooms and 600 acres of woodland.
Known as Torre Tramores, it comes with a price tag of £25,000 a week.
And in the midst of the summer lockdown of August 2020, the family spent six days on a staycation at Scotland's Applecross peninsula.
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he even encouraged the public to think about "wonderful staycations" to go on.
The six-day break was considered a 'paternity holiday' for the new dad and the family spent their time taking in the stunning scenery with plenty of walks and swims in the bitterly cold sea - which almost ended in disaster with a paddleboard incident.
"He nearly drowned," a government source told The Times. "He got swept away and found himself going further and further out."
Controversially, just after the Conservatives won the 2019 General Election, Mr Johnson accepted an offer from a prominent Tory donor David Ross, who co-founded the Carphone Warehouse, to stay for free at his luxury Caribbean villa.
The offer was to take some time out at the Moroccan-style building in Mustique, which normally costs between £20,000-30,000 a week.
The property, set amid the white sands and lush palms, boasts six rooms, three swimming pools, two bars, a library and four full-time staff.
It's even hosted the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, alongside mega stars Sir Paul McCartney and Johnny Depp.
"This tranquil villa rests harmoniously on a hilltop overlooking Britannia Bay, which offers perfect trade wind breezes and panoramic views of the surrounding Caribbean and lush landscape of the island," says the brochure.
However the Johnson's 10-day trip became the subject of a Parliamentary Standards Committee probe in May 2021 over who precisely paid for it, and the possibility that the PM might have broken the ministerial code.
The Committee on Standards concluded that Mr Johnson's account was "accurate and complete". But, it added it was "regrettable" a full explanation had not come earlier.
This time around, the couple have been relaxing in the Dominican Republic.
They were spotted by a British holidaymaker visiting a pal at the island's Casa De Campo resort, where the ex-Premier looked "chilled out".
The tourist told the Mirror: "It's basically the most exclusive place you can be in the Dominican Republic.
"It's quite a big resort, you've got exclusive hotels and villas within there - they're humongous these places."
The snap of Mr Johnson and Carrie was taken at about 5pm last Friday - hours after Kwasi Kwarteng was fired as Chancellor and doomed Liz Truss 's excruciating Downing Street press conference.
"They were in quite deep conversation,” the British tourist added. "It was fairly big news back in the UK."
A premier suite at the resort which boasts three white sand beaches can cost up to £13,250 for a week.
It costs £1,076 a night to stay at one of the resort's numerous villas, and golfing packages which offer playing time on its three courses come in at £1,130 a night.
The gated complex, which opened as the country's first almost 50 years ago, has eight restaurants along with shops, a beach club, marina, and equestrian centre which has facilities to stage polo matches along with a shooting course.
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