PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Downing Street has said there are "absolutely no plans" for Prime Minister David Cameron to cut short his family holiday in Italy to deal with the recession fears.
Chancellor George Osborne is also enjoying a foreign break - in the United States - while Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is due back from time off in Spain and France on Sunday.
The senior trio's absence at the same time has led some critics to question the Government's ability to handle the potential impact of the global economic situation on the UK.
"They are being kept abreast of it all," a Number 10 spokeswoman insisted - adding that the premier remained in charge at all times despite being out of the country.
The announcement from Downing Street comes as stock markets around the world continue to slide amid worries over the US economy and Europe's debt crisis.
The FTSE 100 registered its biggest fall of the year on Thursday - shattering pensions and savings funds as it wiped £50 billion off its value - while Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 4.3%, one of its worst ever falls.
European fears were also heightened after the cost of borrowing for the Spanish government rose sharply in a debt auction.