As Rishi Sunak jets off off to Disneyland in California , why is the 'Golden State' special to him?

Although Rishi Sunak will reportedly still be receiving ‘daily updates’ when he jets off on holiday this afternoon (August 2nd 2023), it will be his Deputy Oliver Dowden who will be in charge of the country for just over a week. 

Until today, the the location of Rishi Sunak’s holiday had reportedly not been disclosed due to security reasons, but he revealed where he was heading on LBC. “The kids are very excited. I’m taking them to Disneyland,” he told Nick Ferrari. “They sadly have grown out of all the princesses but there’s a new Star Wars bit of Disney land that I’m very excited about.”

Before Rishi revealed that he was heading to Disneyland, it was thought that he might head  back to a Spanish island where he reportedly went for 15 hours last year. He headed there after losing the Conservative leadership contest to Liz Truss but had to come back to the UK following the passing of Queen Elizabeth 11. 

When discussing his family holiday to Disneyland with Nick Ferrari, Rishi also revealed that California holds a place in his heart. “We’re going to California which is where I met my wife, so it’s very special to us.” Rishi met his wife Akshata Murthy when they were studying at Stanford University while she was studying for an MBA. As Rishi prepares to jet away this afternoon, where have previous Prime Ministers holidayed in the past?

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is most definitely partial to a holiday. Last August, he and his wife Carrie were spotted at Nea Makri, a town east of Athens. In 2022, after the couple married, they also jetted off to Vila Planinka, which is described itself as a boutique hotel, situated in Slovenia.

In the summer of 2021, Boris Johnson reportedly spent time at Zac Goldsmith’s villa in Marbella. According to The Independent, “The Johnsons used the lockdown summer of August 2020 to go on a six-day cottage staycation on Scotland’s Applecross peninsula.”

Theresa May

In 2018, Sky News reported that the then Prime Minister Theresa May was planning two summer holidays, one in Italy, and one in Switzerland. “She will spend one week in Italy with her husband Philip, before returning to work in Downing Street and her constituency as well as attending a First World War memorial marking the battle of Amiens.”

Theresa May and her husband Philip have always been fans of walking holidays and often chose to spend them in Wales.