Rest is not a failure of leadership

There is something revealing about the way we talk about holidays in public life.

When Andy Burnham took time away with his family just over two weeks into his time as Prime Minister, the response was swift. He was accused of “bunking off for a jolly” and of not being serious about leading the country. Meanwhile, Downing Street said that the Government would continue to operate normally, with the Prime Minister remaining in contact with officials, holding meetings and receiving regular updates.

The criticism raises a bigger question than whether one particular holiday was well-timed.

What do we expect from the people who serve in public life?

There is an understandable desire for our political leaders to be focused, hardworking and committed. The responsibilities of public office are enormous, and those who hold them should take that responsibility seriously.

But, somewhere along the way, we have begun to equate seriousness with constant availability.

We celebrate people who work late into the night, answer emails on holiday and never seem to switch off. We treat exhaustion as evidence of commitment and busyness as a sign of importance.The Christian faith offers us a different vision.

Throughout Scripture, rest is not presented as laziness or a failure to work hard. It is part of the rhythm of a healthy life. From the Sabbath to Jesus withdrawing from the crowds to pray, we see that even faithful service has limits.

Nor does our worth come from how much we produce, how many meetings we attend, or how constantly available we are to others.

That is true for politicians. It is true for civil servants, councillors, campaigners and charity workers. It is true for parents, carers and people working several jobs. And it is true for every one of us.

Perhaps that is why the reaction to a politician taking a holiday is worth pausing over.

We should absolutely hold our leaders accountable. We should scrutinise their decisions, challenge their policies and expect them to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to them. But accountability doesn't require us to deny their humanity.

Politicians have families, they get tired, they need sleep, they need time away from the relentless pressures of public office. They need moments when they are not Prime Minister, Mayor, MP or Councillor, but simply a person with people they love. Indeed, allowing leaders to rest might make them better leaders.

A person who has had time to step away can return with greater perspective. Someone who has been able to spend time with their family, reconnect with friends or simply be, still may be better equipped to make difficult decisions with patience and wisdom.

And this matters in Westminster and beyond.

For many people, the idea of a summer holiday feels increasingly out of reach. The cost of living, insecure work, caring responsibilities and financial pressures mean that rest is not equally available to everyone. So, while we talk about politicians taking holidays, we should also ask a wider question:

What kind of society makes rest possible for everyone?

A society in which some people can never afford to take time off is not a healthy society. A culture where people feel guilty for taking annual leave, or where caring responsibilities leave little opportunity to recharge, needs to ask whether we have forgotten something important about human flourishing. Rest should not be a badge of privilege. Nor should it be something we have to earn by working ourselves into the ground.

Jesus' invitation, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” was not addressed to people who had failed. It was addressed to disciples who had been busy serving others.

The invitation was to stop.

To breathe.

To be restored.

And perhaps that is an invitation our public life and society needs to hear too.

We can demand excellence from our leaders without demanding that they sacrifice every moment of their humanity. We can scrutinise decisions without turning every personal choice into evidence of moral failure. We can expect people to serve well while recognising that those who serve also need to be cared for.

At Christians on the Left, we believe that public life should be rooted in the dignity of every person.That means remembering that politicians are people too.

It also means remembering the millions of people who don't have the luxury of switching off.

This summer, our prayer is for those who are able to rest: that their holidays would bring joy, renewal and time with those they love. We pray too for those who cannot take a break, for people working through the summer, caring for others, struggling financially or simply carrying more than they can put down. And we pray for those who serve in public life: that they would have the wisdom to know when to work, when to listen and when to rest. Because rest is not an optional extra.

May we build a political culture and a society in which people are valued not for how much they can produce, but because they are people made in the image of God.