Boris Johnson to run country from Chequers

Boris Johnson will make the most of the country estate in his final two weeks as prime minister.

Boris Johnson has been accused of presiding over a ‘zombie government’ since he was ousted. Picture: Getty Images

Boris Johnson will make the most of Chequers in his final two weeks as prime minister.

He is expected to split the time between the official retreat in the Buckinghamshire countryside and Downing Street, a 90-minute drive away.

Johnson, who has been accused of presiding over a “zombie government” since he was ousted, has been on honeymoon in Slovenia and on holiday to Greece in the past month.

Downing Street did not deny that he would spend his final days commuting from Chequers. Since standing down as Tory leader and effectively becoming a caretaker prime minister, Johnson has made visits to a special forces base, flown in a Typhoon and met soldiers training their Ukrainian counterparts. On Monday he visited the London headquarters of the security service MI5.

He will restate his support for Ukraine before he leaves office, No 10 said, including marking its independence day on Wednesday. He is also expected to highlight measures to support households in the cost of living crisis.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “A large focus this week is on reiterating our support for Ukraine, and that is an unwavering commitment that we have to supporting Ukraine in the face of an illegal war.

“The government is also focused on supporting people with the cost of living and making sure that those who are eligible for the pounds 37 billion of support that’s already available are availing themselves of it.”

Johnson is not likely to introduce any new support, however. Removal vans were spotted in Downing Street while the Johnsons were on holiday, fuelling speculation that the prime minister may not be returning to live in the flat he has occupied since 2019.

No 10 declined to say whether he would be driven back to Buckinghamshire last night (Monday) but did not deny that he would be commuting until he left office. A spokeswoman said: “I would only ever get into his working arrangements, which would be working from Downing Street and Chequers.”

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said on Monday that the government was not doing anything to help ease the cost of living crisis and therefore quell the threat of strikes. He added: “I want to see the government step in and actually help resolve these issues. Instead of that we’ve got a government doing absolutely nothing.”

The Times