We’ve not seen Rishi Sunak since December 23, when he asked a homeless man if he wanted to get into finance.
The Prime Minister is on low-key work this week, between No10 and his mansion with an indoor pool in Yorkshire.
MPs across the spectrum are enjoying some down time too, catching up with family and friends back home.
But that doesn’t mean Parliament’s Christmas recess - which began on December 21 - has been devoid of bad news.
Last week we ran a round-up of stories that had been buried just before MPs left Westminster.
Since then, more news has come out after they’d departed for places around the country.
With many Brits getting some kind of break in the last week, even if not on December 25, it’s easy to fall behind with what’s going on in politics.
So we wouldn’t want these important updates to go unnoticed, would we?
December 22: Sleaze tsar can’t launch his own investigations
Rishi Sunak finally appointed a new Cabinet sleaze tsar after the job was empty for six months.
But Sir Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, will not be allowed to start his own probes without the PM’s permission.
Campaigners have called for the Advisor to be able to launch investigations without the PM saying so.
Yet Mr Sunak told Sir Laurie: “I propose to retain the existing Terms of Reference, as agreed with your predecessor and as published in May 2022.”
It also emerged Sir Laurie, the chair of Historic England, donated £3,000 to ex-Tory MP Nick Boles in 2017 “to support the research and writing of a book”.
The pair were old family friends, according to The Guardian.
December 22: Limo rules made more generous
Rishi Sunak changed the rules so his ministers can use their chauffeur-driven limos more.
The ministerial code has been amended to allow frontbenchers to make journeys to their constituencies in their government cars.
The rules previously stated that ministers were "permitted to use an official car for official business and for home to office journeys within a reasonable distance of London on the understanding they are using the time to work".
But in a new version of the code published just before Christmas, the words "within a reasonable distance of London" were removed.
Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “While Rishi Sunak subjects the public to travel chaos by failing to resolve train strikes, he’s busy changing the rules to sort out car rides home for his own ministers.”
December 22: Rail fares will soar
Rail fares in England will increase by up to 5.9% from March next year in a blow to passengers.
The change will come into force on March 5, and was branded a "kick in the teeth" for commuters who have faced endless disruption.
The hike to regulated fares is being capped below inflation to prevent a double-digit hike for travellers, the Department for Transport has said.
Fares are usually linked to the retail prices index of inflation, which would have meant a 12.3% increase if the rise was pegged to the traditional July rate.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "This is the biggest-ever Government intervention in rail fares."
But analysis by Labour found the average fares will rise to 58% more than they were in 2010, twice as fast as wages.
December 22: Food prices rise
Office for National Statistics data just before Christmas makes grim reading on the cost-of-living crisis.
It found 61% of those in the most deprived areas are buying less food compared with last year, as opposed to 44% in the least deprived areas.
And 23% of survey participants said they skipped or reduced the size of a meal because they could not afford to buy food.
The ONS said food and non-alcoholic drink prices rose by 16.5% in the year to November, the highest increase since September 1977.
Staples like breads and cereals rose by 1.9% in one month alone.
December 24: Rishi Sunak hired his pal
On Christmas Eve, No10 confirmed Rishi Sunak had hired journalist James Forsyth as his new political secretary.
Mr Forsyth is the political editor of the conservative magazine The Spectator - and he is also an old friend of the Prime Minister's.
They both attended top private school Winchester College and are godparents to each other's children.
Mr Sunak was reportedly best man at Mr Forsyth's wedding to Allegra Stratton, Boris Johnson's ex-press secretary who resigned tearfully over Partygate.
It is likely to lead to new focus on the revolving door for some between journalism and political work. Mr Forsyth had been criticised in the past by some on Twitter for not fully declaring his friendship in columns about the PM.
The appointment is a political one with no cost to taxpayers.
December 26: Crackdown on migration looms
Boxing Day is hardly flowing with political announcements, but the Times reported Suella Braverman is plotting a crackdown on immigration.
Draft plans seen by the newspaper would hike up the £18,600 minimum salary for British citizens applying for a family visa for a spouse or children to come to the UK.
The Home Secretary would also raise minimum salary thresholds for workers who fill jobs on the shortage occupation list - like carers, it was reported. And foreign student numbers would be cut.
It comes despite campaigners saying the post-Brexit points-based immigration system has led to shortages in key areas.
December 27: Impact of rail woes laid bare
In a spectacular act of party-poopery, the Rail Delivery Group issued a 7.30am press release emphasising just how rubbish train travel will be next week.
Rail firms confirmed they had published their first special timetables for the first week of the new year amid RMT strikes on January 3-4 and 6-7 - and an Aslef drivers’ strike on January 5.
The Rail Delivery Group said on all five days, trains will start later and finish much earlier than usual, between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
“Only around 20% of services will operate and half of the network will shut down”, the RDG said. “Passengers who must travel should expect disruption, plan ahead and check when their last train will depart”.
Tory ministers say the unions are to blame for strikes, while unions blame Tory ministers for refusing to give rail firms a proper remit to negotiate.
