BORIS Johnson is back on holiday, shortly after returning from another break, as he enters his final few weeks in Downing Street.
Johnson, who will resign from No 10 on September 6, took a holiday earlier this month despite warnings of further inflation and the threat of a recession later this year.
Now, the outgoing Prime Minister is reportedly on another break, this time in Greece.
The Times newspaper reports that Johnson is spending a week-long holiday in the country, with locals spotting him shopping alongside wife Carrie in a supermarket in Nea Makri, a town to the east of Athens.
On Monday, former Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis defended Johnson, rejecting any suggestion that he had “thrown in the towel”.
He told LBC: “Even when you are not in the office in Downing Street you are working.”
He added: “He’s probably in about his second week [of] holiday in the last year or so, certainly this year. So while somebody is away, whether they are secretary of state or let alone the Prime Minister, they will be continuing to work.
“I can assure you he will still be going through inboxes, he will still be dealing with national security issues where relevant. Being out of the country does not mean the Prime Minister stops working.”
Labour hit out at the Prime Minister, accusing him of treating recent months as “one big party”.
A spokesperson said: “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.”
Later, Downing Street insisted that the Prime Minister will be kept informed of any “urgent issues” while on holiday.
The PM's official spokesman told reporters that Johnson had paid for his own holiday and would be kept informed of any pressing government business while away.
“The Prime Minister is on holiday this week,” he said.
“As is the way with prime ministers as you know by virtue of their role they’ll obviously be kept informed on any urgent issues and make decisions particularly those (related to) national security for example.”
He added: “If there were urgent decisions that required the PM’s input he will, of course, be involved in that. But the Deputy Prime Minister [Dominic Raab] is able to be deputised for meetings should they come up but as far as I’m aware there are no such meetings currently scheduled.”
Asked if Boris Johnson’s holiday could have waited a few weeks, his spokesman said: “I can’t get into the decision around timings but he is on leave this week. He will be back this weekend.”
