Boris Johnson is going on holiday less than five weeks before his time as prime minister comes to end.

The outgoing Tory leader begins a summer vacation today – but the PM’s official spokesperson said Johnson will remain in charge of the country and be receiving updates as required.

It comes less than a month after he stepped down, telling the British people: ‘I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world’.

Downing Street would not give details of where Johnson is headed, with the trip set to last until the end of the week.

It comes after the PM and his wife Carrie hosted a lavish wedding party in a Tory donor’s mansion last weekend, not long after he became the first PM found to have broken the law in office over the partygate scandal.

The couple have two young children who they will want to spend time with.

The PM has also been flying Typhoon jets, lobbing hand grenades and trying out rocket launchers in his final weeks in the role.

Johnson will not have long left in post when he returns, with his successor taking over on September 6.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is comfortably ahead of former chancellor Rishi Sunak, and seemingly cruising towards Number 10.

Asked who would be in charge while Johnson was away, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘It will be the standard pattern.

‘The Prime Minister will be updated as required… the Deputy Prime Minister and, as ever with a Cabinet government, other ministers will be on hand to support as needed.’

Some of Johnson’s previous trips have proved controversial.

As the Taliban tore through Afghanistan last summer, the PM was reported to have begun a trip to Somerset, before swiftly returning to Westminster.

A few weeks later he came under scrutiny again when he left Downing Street for a four-day trip with his family as Britons and Afghans remained stranded after the withdrawal of forces from Kabul.

At the time, No 10 declined to describe the trip as a holiday, and insisted he was ‘continuing to work’.

Last year questions were also raised about transparency over a trip to a Spanish holiday villa owned by the family of minister Lord Goldsmith.

Labour criticised Mr Johnson for declaring a free holiday at the villa on the list of ministers’ interests but not on the parliamentary register, which may have required more details – such as the value of the stay – to have been revealed.

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