British PM off to Portugal for holidays

British Prime Minister David Cameron was to jet off to Portugal on Saturday for his summer holiday, Downing Street said.

However, the premier will be back in Britain for the closing ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on Sunday, and then travel to France and Belgium on Monday to take part in ceremonies to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, his office said.

The Conservative leader will then rejoin his wife Samantha and their children Nancy, Elwen and Florence for the remainder of their summer break.

“The prime minister will travel to Portugal with his family today for their summer holiday,” a Downing Street spokesman said Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, spent last week at the home of his wife Miriam’s parents in Spain. He will be in London during Cameron’s absence, before returning to Spain later in August.

William Hague, who stepped down as foreign secretary last month, retains the title of first secretary of state, giving him nominal seniority over other ministers.

Cameron confirmed the former Conservative leader remains his “political deputy” after last month’s Cabinet reshuffle.

Hague is now the leader of the Commons, meaning he organises business in parliament’s lower house.

Though the prime minister remains in charge of the British government wherever he or she is in the world, who has day-to-day charge of the Cabinet during their holidays gets the British newspapers in an annual summer stir.

In recent years, prime ministers’ breaks are usually interrupted by crises, such as the Syria conflict, the London riots or an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle, that force them to return to London anyway.