BORIS Johnson's holiday is “important for the whole country”, a Tory minister has said - as the UK faces a cost of living crisis and spiralling gas prices.
Home Office minister Damian Hinds defended the Prime Minister’s decision to go on holiday, asking “when is the right time?” when pressed about whether Johnson should have travelled abroad to Marbella.
Industry leaders have criticised Johnson for the holiday, while Labour have called on the UK Government to get a “grip” on the “chaotic” crisis.
READ MORE: Kwasi Kwarteng: Boris Johnson's Costa del Sol holiday during gas crisis 'reasonable'
Sky News asked Hinds if now was the right time for the Prime Minister to go on holiday, and he replied: “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.
“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.”
He later added: “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.”
Labour shadow Treasury minister Pat McFadden said he “doesn’t care” whether or not Johnson is currently on holiday.
READ MORE: ‘Catastrophic’ trade slump as Scotland's exports to EU plummet
The MP, also a former shadow business secretary, said: “I honestly don’t care where he is. What I want is grip from the Government.
“Whether he’s in Spain, whether he is in the UK, it seems just as chaotic when the Prime Minister is here.
“So, frankly, I’m not concerned whether he’s on holiday or not. What I want is grip from the Government, and we haven’t got that at the moment.”
Gareth Stace, the director general of UK Steel, said of the trip: “I’m sure he can get on the phone and get talking to them but to my mind, now is not the time for a prime minister to be on holiday, from the steel sector point of view.”
The Prime Minister is reported to have flown to Marbella to stay in a private villa on the Costa del Sol.
Holidays have caused difficulties for Johnson’s government previously.
Dominic Raab was demoted from his role as foreign secretary after criticism for staying on vacation in Crete while the Taliban marched back to power in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister himself also endured months of scrutiny after a trip to the Caribbean island of Mustique in 2019.
He was ultimately cleared of breaking the MPs’ code of conduct after an investigation into whether he adequately registered £15,000 worth of accommodation paid for by a Tory donor.
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