Andy Burnham has jetted off on holiday just 15 days after walking into Number 10. That is the earliest a PM has enabled their out of office notice in modern history. Theresa May comes the closest, and even her trip the Alps was a month into her premiership. Burnham has halved her record, although at least he waited longer than some Cabinet colleagues…
| PM | Took office | First holiday | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnham | 20 Jul 2026 | 4 Aug 2026 | 15 days |
| May | 13 Jul 2016 | 12 Aug 2016, Swiss Alps | 4 weeks |
| Brown | 27 Jun 2007 | Aug 2007, Dorset (returned early) | About 6 weeks |
| Blair | 2 May 1997 | Aug 1997, Tuscany | About 3 months |
| Cameron | 11 May 2010 | Aug 2010, Cornwall | About 3 months |
| Johnson | 24 Jul 2019 | Dec 2019, Mustique | 5 months |
| Starmer | 5 Jul 2024 | Late Dec 2024, Madeira | 6 months |
| Sunak | 25 Oct 2022 | Aug 2023, California | 9 months |
| Truss | 6 Sep 2022 | Obviously never took one | Resigned after 49 days |
Who in the real world vanishes from their desk two weeks after starting a new job? Even a new graduate wouldn’t dare to do it, let alone a CEO…
Burnham confirms he spoke to Trump last night about drilling in the North Sea:
“I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here. There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president…”