Rishi Sunak to jet abroad on his first family holiday in four years and will leave deputy Oliver Dowden ‘at the helm’ as PM attempts to ‘practise what he preaches’ on work-life balance
- The PM will be out the UK from Thursday to leave Oliver Dowden ‘at the helm’
Rishi Sunak will this week jet abroad for his first family holiday in four years, Downing Street revealed today.
The Prime Minister is set to depart the country from Thursday and will leave Oliver Dowden, his deputy, ‘at the helm’ in his absence, No10 said.
Mr Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty, and their two daughters, Krishna, 12, and Anoushka, 10, will spend just over a week together away from the UK.
It will be their first family holiday since Mr Sunak was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in July 2019.
The PM’s press secretary said Mr Sunak thought maintaining a work-life balance was ‘very important’, but admitted the premier was not ‘necessarily a good example of practising what you preach’.
Rishi Sunak will this week jet abroad for his first family holiday in four years, Downing Street revealed
Mr Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty, and their two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka (pictured before watching the Barbie film recently), will spend just over a week away from the UK
It Mr Sunak’s first family holiday since he was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in July 2019
Mr Sunak attempted to take a holiday last year soon after being defeated by Liz Truss in the summer’s Tory leadership contest.
But the now PM spent all of ‘about 15 hours’ on a Spanish island before returning to Britain following the death of the Queen last September, his press secretary said.
Downing Street said they could not disclose the location of the PM’s holiday later this week due to security reasons.
‘The PM will be taking some time off with his family – the first time he will do this since he became Chief Secretary to the Treasury almost four years ago,’ Mr Sunak’s press secretary told reporters.
‘He’ll be off from Thursday for just over a week.’
No10 said Mr Dowden, the Deputy PM and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, would manage day-to-day Government business while Mr Sunak was away.
‘Olive will be at the helm for the time that the PM is on holiday,’ Mr Sunak’s press secretary added.
‘But the PM will be getting daily updates from his private office, particularly on anything that is urgent.’
Asked if Mr Sunak thought it was important to have a work-life balance after his four-year spell without a holiday, his press secretary replied: ‘The PM believes that a work-life balance is very important, particularly spending time with your family – especially if you have young kids.
‘Not that he is necessarily a good example of practising what you preach.’
No10 said Oliver Dowden, the Deputy PM and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, would manage day-to-day Government business while Mr Sunak was away
Mr Sunak and his wife own a penthouse flat in Santa Monica, California, which is estimated to be worth £5.5million.
But the PM’s press secretary revealed he hadn’t stayed at the property since becoming a Treasury minister in July 2019.
Mr Sunak cut short a planned trip to California in December 2021 after coming under pressure to do more to help businesses hit by a surge in Covid infections.
‘He came back, as I’m sure you’ll recall, for urgent matters relating to Covid lockdowns,’ the PM’s press secretary said.
No10 dismissed suggestions Mr Sunak’s ‘testy’ appearance during a radio interview this morning – in which he clashed with a BBC host over his use of RAF jets and private helicopters to fly around the country – was to do with his lack of a holiday since becoming PM.
‘I think that was probably because the interview started off with complaining they only had five minutes,’ Mr Sunak’s press secretary said.
‘I would point out the PM has done Good Morning Scotland twice since he became PM and he is the first PM to do so since David Cameron.’
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