When he resigned as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson vowed it was “my job, my duty, my obligation to you” to serve the British people.
But a week’s a long time in politics.
Now it seems he’s enjoying some of the finer things in No10 life before he’s turfed out on September 6.
Footage has emerged of the Tory leader taking a ride in a Typhoon fighter jet last Thursday, while his party squabbles over a successor.
He took a selfie video, while at the dual controls, alongside some air-to-air refuelling of another jet from a Union flag-bedecked plane.
Breathing apparatus on his face, he turned the camera towards the rest of the formation and gave a thumbs-up.
“We did a fantastic loop the loop and then I did a more complicated thing called a barrel roll and I pushed the stick up and right a bit!” he gushed today.
By that point the PM had already skipped one COBRA meeting on the upcoming heatwave - and he then skipped two more on Saturday and Monday.
On Sunday, he capped it all by having a lavish leaving party at Chequers, attended by loyalist ministers and aides.
Press photographers were banned from the estate but cars could be spotted lining up on a field, spilling out their guests, like they would for a village fete.
According to Playbook the Prime Minister gave an “incredible” - at least according to his most loyal acolytes - speech laced with gags.
Downing Street insisted no taxpayers’ money was involved as the costs will be billed back to Mr Johnson - or a donor could volunteer to pick up the tab.
Of course, he's still got well over a month to go as Prime Minister. But these are his last days while Parliament is in session - it goes for its summer recess on Thursday.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said Boris Johnson is treating the British public with "contempt”.
Mr Khan said: “If the Prime Minister wants to go on a jolly, he should leave Number 10 Downing Street, he should resign and allow the Deputy Prime Minister to be a caretaker prime minister until the Conservatives have chosen their leader."
He added: "This idea of a Prime Minister, who has been voted out by his party, having a jolly for six months is treating the British public with contempt, he should go now."
But as the heatwave descended, the PM decided he’d still not had enough fun - and went this morning to Farnborough Air Show.
Joking about the leadership contest: "I leave it to you to imagine who at this stage I would like to send into orbit.
"Perhaps a volunteer can be found from the green benches of Parliament.
"I leave that entirely to you, into your speculation.”
Mr Johnson also recalled his Thursday trip in a Typhoon this morning - the only photos of which were released by his £100k-a-year taxpayer-funded PR photographer, days after it happened.
He said taking off was like a "vertical firecracker”, adding: "After a while the wing commander said to me, 'Do you want to have a go?'
“And I said, 'Are you sure, it seems very expensive to me?' We only have 148 of them and they cost £75 million a pop.
“And he said, 'Don't worry you can't break it.' And I thought, 'oh well famous last words’.”
After his barrel roll “we started to pull a few Gs, as they say, quite a few Gs.
“When I came back to consciousness I could see the sea getting closer and closer and I started to dream about this incredible forest of windfarms I could see, all over the North Sea.
“And I thought about the way this Government in the past few years have been reclaiming Doggerland, harvesting the drained prairies of the North Sea.
“This reverie must have gone on for quite a while because then my colleague said, 'I'm taking back control now', and we headed happily home."
Downing Street defended Boris Johnson for not chairing Cobra meetings on the heatwave - while finding time to take a ride in a Typhoon fighter jet.
Asked about Mr Johnson's Typhoon flight, the spokesman said: "The Typhoon's quick alert reaction role is an integral part of both UK and Nato security and the PM does have a specific role in directing RAF action in worst-case scenarios. So it is important he is aware of some of these capabilities they have."
Asked if he needs first-hand experience to understand this, the spokesman said: "It's important that he has a detailed understanding of the working capabilities of the RAF."
No10 have refused to guarantee Boris Johnson will remain as a backbench MP after he quits.
And days before he was ousted, the PM - who used to make £275k writing a weekly newspaper column - said he could make more money in journalism.
He told journalists on a foreign trip: “Do you know what? I've realised where I've been going wrong with all this.
“I've got to recognise that years and years ago, I used to do the kind of jobs that you all do now, and it was a great, great life and a great privilege.
“And what you are able to do is offer opinion, commentary, analysis, predictions about politics, about individuals and so on.”
He went on: “It’s very lucrative sometimes.”
