The British opposition on Friday accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was set to handle current affairs while awaiting the appointment of his successor, of being “missing” as the Bank of England warned of a looming recession.
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Following shocking announcements by the central bank predicting the country would enter its longest recession since the 2008 financial crisis, British media reported that the prime minister and his finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, were away from London on holiday.
The Conservative government is “missing,” criticized Labor Party number two Angela Rayner on Twitter.
Downing Street declined to say where the Tory leader is holidaying, but the Slovenian government, contacted by AFP, said Boris Johnson had traveled to Slovenia for a “private” stay.
“The British Embassy in Slovenia has informed us that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on a private visit to Slovenia. Due to the nature of the visit, no meeting (with Slovenian officials) is planned,” the government said.
On Friday morning, Energy and Economy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng admitted he “didn’t know where Boris was” but assured he was in “constant contact” with him.
“He just got married, I think he’s on his honeymoon and … I don’t think a lot of people are going to blame him,” he told Times Radio.
Boris and Carrie Johnson celebrated their wedding last weekend, a celebration that had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Karteng added it would be “completely wrong” to accuse the government of inaction if Conservative Party members vote to replace Boris Johnson, who announced his resignation in July that has been eclipsed by a series of scandals.
The Tories must choose between poll-leading Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, with the outcome of the vote to be announced on September 5. Boris Johnson will officially resign the next day.
He has made few appearances since announcing his retirement and has already been criticized for missing crisis meetings due to the historic heatwave that hit Britain last month or for not welcoming England footballers after their Euro win.
The recession will start at the end of 2022, according to the central bank, with the rise in energy prices pushing inflation above 13% in October and further exacerbating the current dramatic purchasing power crisis affecting UK households.
“We will have to wait four weeks for an emergency budget because we are helping people like this – it will be up to the new chancellor, the new prime minister, whoever they will be to develop the measures,” Kwasi Karteng told Radio Times.
“But the idea that we’re doing nothing in the meantime is wrong,” he added.
Although he was not in London, Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi said in a statement on Thursday that he had “no holidays” and continued to receive calls and briefings “daily”.