Forget Barbados: Brown's summer holiday was only four hours long

His predecessor favoured several weeks relaxing in the Caribbean, preferably as the nonpaying guest of a rich and famous friend.

But, in another break with Tony Blair's style of leadership, Gordon Brown has limited his first summer holiday as Prime Minister to just four hours.

His 'bucket and spade' break in Dorset was not even an afternoon old when he was forced to return to London to deal with the foot and mouth outbreak.

And Downing Street revealed yesterday that despite subsequently travelling to his Scottish constituency with his family, Mr Brown has decided there is still no time for rest.

His spokesman announced he had set up camp in Labour's office in rainy Cowdenbeath and has no further time off planned for the rest of the Parliamentary break.

The Premier's vacation in a Dorset holiday cottage owned by his wife Sarah's family began at 3pm on August 3. By 7.05pm he had taken control of the Government's response to the developing farming crisis.

MPs had expected Mr Brown to make up for the interrupted break by using his time in Scotland to

relax with his wife Sarah and two sons. But his spokesman today stressed that he was actually working in his constituency office.

"He's getting on with the business of Government," she said.

Asked if Mr Brown had had had any time off, his spokesman conceded: "He did attend a Raith Rovers match at the weekend."

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The Prime Minister has spent two weekends at Chequers, his country retreat, with his family but has not had time to get to his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency since taking over from Mr Blair in June.

• Mr Brown could be deterred from calling a snap general election this autumn by worrying poll results in his Scottish backyard, according to senior party figures.

Mr Brown has taken Labour into a commanding lead of between six and ten points, latest polls show. But MPs are nervously eyeing the latest surveys from Scotland, where the SNP appears to be surging ahead having seized control of the Scottish Parliament earlier this year.