Last summer, the Prime Minister was forced to cut short his summer holiday to deal with the foot and mouth crisis. It was only proper for a new Prime Minister to show he was on top of his brief, but it denied Brown time to unwind before the autumn conference season.

After stumbling badly over the election-that-never-was, Brown staggered to Christmas, and he actually took a day off! But while most Scots were seeing in the New Year in traditional style, an exhausted Brown was in bed by 10pm.

I suppose it's reassuring – the work ethic is deeply embedded in our Prime Minister. When Brown entered Number 10, he quoted his school motto: "I will try my utmost."

It's one promise the Prime Minister has kept as he burns the candle at both ends, poring over briefing papers long into the night, while advisers regularly receive his emails at six in the morning.

But does working harder and harder necessarily mean working better? Mistakes creep in as the fog of tiredness descends.

We all know of a "Gordon Brown" type at work: they take on too much, feel that they can't pass it on to others, and then they end up really stressed.

Brown is paying the price for not being able to delegate. He interferes in the minutiae of Government policy, which, in most cases, could be left to junior ministers. And he has also made the mistake of not having appointed a Deputy Prime Minister.

The Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, could fulfil this role standing on his head. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, was "lucky" in having John Prescott there, at the ready to deputise when the Prime Minister went on his long summer breaks.

In many respects, Blair was the model work colleague: he worked hard, but he was also able to switch off on his holidays, taking around six weeks' holidays a year. In the summer of 2004, for instance, Blair took a 26-day holiday in Barbados, Greece and Italy.

Prior to his summer breaks, commentators remarked that Blair look "knackered", but he used several weeks in the sun to refresh himself, and bounced back having taken some time away from his desk.

And, just as importantly, Blair used some of the time to set out his thoughts for the year ahead.

In this sense, Blair resembles Harold Wilson, who used summer holidays in the Isles of Scilly to jot down ideas in his notebook in between walks with his beloved labrador dog, Paddy, and occasional games of golf.

A friend recalls that such summer holidays gave Wilson "an opportunity to think things out". Speeches would be drafted, policies formulated. Like Brown, Wilson was interested in little else other than politics, but even he saw the merit in creating time and space to think ahead for the future.

But the real problem with Gordon Brown is that he lacks a "hinterland", a world outside politics in which he can lose himself. And here, John Major is the perfect model Prime Minister, remarking in his memoirs that "politics was a very important part of my life, but not every part".

Major was able to lose himself in a game of cricket at the Oval, or relax on the odd Mediterranean summer holiday.

Even the notoriously grumpy Edward Heath enjoyed music and sailing on his various yachts, all named Morning Cloud.

Perhaps Brown is closest in personality to Margaret Thatcher, who always found it hard to switch off. Like Brown, she nearly always lived "over the shop". She might grant the Press the odd photo opportunity on a Cornish beach, but instead of conveying relaxation, she would be seen tearing down the shore at top speed with an
unruly spaniel.

Talking of world leaders on beaches, I can't help recalling the contrast between Richard Nixon and Robert Kennedy before the 1960 Presidential Election. Whereas the tanned Kennedy (very much akin to Blair) was seen relaxing in the family retreat in Nantucket, Nixon was photographed walking down the beach with his street shoes – too much of a cold fish to feel the warmth of the sand beneath his feet. That too is Gordon Brown all over: like Nixon, he is deeply uncomfortable in his own skin, and unable to relax.

So Gordon, cast aside your worries about inflation. Take Sarah and the boys on a much-needed summer break. If you want to save money
(and I know you will) get a late deal rather than the "bucket and spade" holiday you've planned in Southwold – from where you can
be called back to London at a moment's notice.

Jet off to your favourite haunt of Cape Cod. Take long walks on its beautiful beaches. Even if you don't feel you need a holiday from
us, we could sure do with a holiday from you.


Mark Stuart is a political analyst and historian from York who has written the biographies of Douglas Hurd and John Smith.