WESTMINSTER breathes a sigh of relief as MPs knock off for their summer holidays. Sorry, “constituency work”.

By the time you’re reading this the halls of power will be mostly deserted, with Tory ministers taking a hard-earned break from restricting our right to protest, our right to strike and trying to send planes filled with desperate people from Rwanda.

It’s thirsty work and the taps at the parliamentary bars (less than a fiver for a pint of lager) will need time to recharge before the lanyard-wearing classes descend upon them again at the beginning of September.

Maybe by that point, the House authorities will have fixed the building – most recently a major part of the estate had the roof break, filling the building with water.

Or they will have got on top of the rodent infestation (I mean that literally before you make any jokes).

I have never seen so many rat traps in one building. The Speaker – who actually lives in the Palace of Westminster – told me recently his lodgings are one of the few places without any mice or rats because of his cat called Attlee.

Lindsay Hoyle is such a keen animal enthusiast it seems silly not to simply lead all the rodents to his place where he can domesticate them and name them after former prime ministers.

Hacks as well will breathe a sigh of relief as a term of relentless news, including the collapse of two governments and an administration failing to get to grips with the worst fall in living standards many can remember, comes to a close. For now.

There remain rumblings about a Cabinet reshuffle, though some ministers might take comfort in Rishi Sunak reportedly saying he fancies taking a summer holiday this year.

Given their track records, Tory prime ministers taking to the Costa del Sol for two weeks might actually be good for the economy.

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