Boris Johnson could never be accused of wanting to be seen as politically engaged since announcing his resignation as prime minister in early July. Yet his apparent eagerness to abandon any pretence of parliamentary involvement would make grim reading for even his most ardent fan.
For about a quarter of the considerable time that has elapsed, Johnson appears to have been abroad, enjoying a series of luxury holidays as the UK lurches through economic tumult and a deepening cost of living crisis.
In addition, during the 108 days since he announced his resignation, Johnson has voted in parliament just once. For the record, that was a confidence vote on 18 July – into his own government.
During Liz Truss’s six-week tenure as PM, her predecessor did not bother to vote once. Neither did he make a single written parliamentary statement throughout her administration.
But back to his holidays: after his final prime minister’s questions on 20 July, Johnson clearly began planning in earnest for some time away. Destination number one was Slovenia in early August, for a week at the five-star Vila Planinka eco-hotel, where rooms in high season cost from about £600 a night. The trip was explained as a “mini-moon” to mark his wedding to Carrie, held days earlier at the sprawling Cotswold estate of a Tory donor.
Slovenia failed to satisfy Johnson’s taste for luxury travel. Within days, he was off to Greece for a family holiday, reportedly also for a week. This time they headed first for the island of Evia, before moving on to the coastal town of Nea Makri on the mainland, a few hours from where Johnson’s father, Stanley, has a villa.
Possibly exhausted after saying some words during a parliamentary debate on Ukraine on 22 September – his only input save for a tribute to the Queen nearly a fortnight earlier – Johnson decided he needed another holiday.
His final getaway, this time a planned fortnight, was to the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. Accompanied by Carrie and their children, Wilf and Romy, Johnson chose the Casa de Campo luxury golf resort, where a four-bedroom villa for one night this weekend costs more than £2,500 (golf cart included), according to booking.com. The median average monthly salary for UK workers is £2,164.
