London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

No 10 defends Boris Johnson’s holiday in Spain amid energy crisis

No 10 defends Boris Johnson’s holiday in Spain amid energy crisis

Spokesperson says it is right for PM to take a break but refuses to confirm how holiday is being funded
No 10 has defended Boris Johnson’s decision to take a holiday in Spain this week during the energy and supply chain crisis, but struggled to explain why all MPs have been given the week off from parliament even though party conference season is over.

The prime minister is staying at a Spanish villa linked to Zac Goldsmith, the wealthy Tory peer and environment minister, who is close friends with Carrie Johnson.

No 10 refused to confirm that Goldsmith was covering the cost of the holiday in Marbella or say how the prime minister had travelled to Spain with his family.

His spokesperson insisted Johnson remained in charge with no need for Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, to stand in for him.

“I think everyone understands it’s right individuals are able to take a break at a suitable time,” he said, but he refused to say for how long the holiday had been in the prime minister’s diary.

The spokesperson said Johnson had taken a call from the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and was being updated on the work to address supply chain problems and high energy prices.

“The prime minister continues to be in charge as is always the case,” he said. “He is in regular contact with ministers and No 10. He is also continuing to take calls, particularly in the run-up to Cop26.”

Asked about who was funding the holiday, Johnson’s spokesperson said: “Any declarations that need to be made will be made in the normal way, but I don’t have anything to add to that. I wouldn’t get into anything on location for security reasons.”

Johnson last went on holiday in August to the West Country but his break was cut short by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, with the prime minister returning to London after one day.

Asked about the unusual week off for MPs after the Tory party conference, a Conservative source said the three-week conference recess had been agreed by MPs before they went on their summer break.

However, there appeared to be no purpose to it because the Lib Dem and SNP conferences took place earlier in September, while the House of Commons was still sitting.

Parliament usually goes into a three-week recess for party conference season, covering the Lib Dem, Labour and Tory events. However, this year it sat during the Lib Dem conference – which was online only – and then carried on with an extra week of recess after last week’s Tory party conference.

MPs were back for three weeks after their extended summer break and they will sit for only another three weeks before another recess in November.

Earlier, Damian Hinds, the security minister, defended Johnson’s decision to go on holiday to Spain on Sky News.

“When is the right time? I think it is important that people do have an opportunity to be with their families to have some relaxing, unwinding,” he said. “But I wouldn’t want to overstate the amount of unwinding and relaxing you get to do as prime minister because, as I say, you are constantly in touch, you are constantly being briefed and you remain in charge of the government.

“What is important for the rest of us actually, for the whole country, is that the prime minister does get to have some family time, does get to have a break.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×