Departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be fond of skipping COBRA meetings - but he rarely misses Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr Johnson has faced criticism over his non-attendance at numerous meetings of the emergency council - formed to organise the government’s response to a major crisis - which are named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA), where they are normally held.
He reportedly missed five COBRA meetings in the buildup to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was criticised last month for missing two COBRA meetings on the heatwave - including skipping one to take a joyride in an RAF Tornado.
Mr Johnson - who will leave 10 Downing Street once Tory party members choose a new leader - has also faced criticism more recently for going on holiday just before the Bank of England raised interest rates and warned of the longest recession since the financial crisis.
But while his detractors frequently describe the PM as “AWOL” or “missing in action” - he also failed to attend the women’s Euro final and the opening event of the Commonwealth Games - he rarely skips PMQs in the House of Commons.
These are regular sessions when the PM spends about 30 minutes answering questions from opposition and friendly MPs.
In fact, according to a House of Commons research briefing, Mr Johnson has missed just six PMQs since he moved into 10 Downing Street - fewer than any other Prime Minister in more than 40 years.
That is despite Mr Johnson having to answer some uncomfortable questions - such as over the expensive donor-funded wallpaper in his Downing Street flat; or about his own conduct after it was revealed he attended lockdown parties in 10 Downing Street, in breach of his own Covid rules.
And when he has been absent from PMQs, he has generally had a good excuse. He missed one meeting when he was recovering from Covid-19, and another when he announced the birth of his son. Other PMQs were missed because he was out of the country on state business, apart from one which clashed with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
And while Mr Johnson has spent less time in office than many of his predecessors, he still stacks up well when comparing the proportion of PMQs missed.
Mr Johnson has missed just 5.6% of PMQs during his time in the highest political office in the land. Only Tony Blair avoided scrutiny from MPs less frequently. The former Labour PM missed 17 out of 343 PMQs, or 5.0%.
Of recent Prime Ministers, John Major (Conservative) and Gordon Brown (Labour) missed the highest proportion of opportunities for MPs to raise questions and concerns on policies. Mr Major missed 47 of 398 PMQs, while Mr Brown was absent for 10 of 85, meaning both former PMs missed about one in eight PMQs (11.8%).
As the longest-serving PM in recent years, Margaret Thatcher faced the scrutiny of MPs more than any other leader. During her three terms as PM between 1979 and 1990, Baroness Thatcher faced Prime Minister’s Questions on 752 occasions, missing 58 sessions (7.7%).
