By Mario Ledwith for the Each day Mail
For greater than a 12 months, Britons have needed to miss seeing their family members overseas as a result of Covid pandemic.
The ever-changing journey guidelines have additionally seen households lose out on hundreds as holidays have been cancelled.
Regardless of failing to implement a strict border coverage when the pandemic unfolded final 12 months, ministers have insisted that current measures have been very important to keep away from spreading variants.
However on the identical time, ministers have been usually jetting abroad themselves on the taxpayers’ expense.
Utilizing an exemption afforded to crown servants, they didn’t need to quarantine on their return to the UK.
In an additional twist, many flights taken by ministers concerned discussions on local weather change because the UK prepares to host the COP environmental convention. Right here, we have a look at among the journeys taken by ministers:
The Overseas Workplace minister
Wendy Morton has excitedly documented her varied journeys overseas.
In June, she travelled to Turkey because the nation stayed on the crimson checklist, satirically utilizing the journey to speak concerning the significance of the nation as a UK vacationer hub.
Pictured: Wendy Morton throughout a go to to Turkey because it stayed on the crimson checklist. There, she visited the Hatay Archaeology Museum in Antakya
She met the nation’s deputy minister for international affairs, Faruk Kaymakcı, for a face-to-face assembly with out sporting a masks, pledging that the nations would work collectively on local weather change.
On the three-day go to she was additionally afforded a go to to the Hatay Archaeology Museum in Antakya.
In April, when individuals have been nonetheless unable to journey overseas, she flew to Greece for extra diplomatic talks relating the atmosphere and visiting an historic agora or assembly place.
Ex-Tory chairman
James Cleverly has been jetting the world over this 12 months in his function as minister for the Center East and north Africa.
Whereas a few of his journeys touched on worthy topics, reminiscent of terrorism, others have appeared much less important.
On a visit to Tunisia in June, simply three weeks earlier than the nation was positioned on the crimson checklist, he tweeted an image of himself sampling olive oils. In Might, he visited Saudi Arabia to debate clear vitality.
James Cleverly has been jetting the world over this 12 months in his function as minister for the Center East and north Africa. On a visit to Tunisia in June, simply three weeks earlier than the nation was positioned on the crimson checklist, he tweeted an image of himself sampling olive oils
Overseas Secretary
Simply two weeks after the UK entered its third nationwide lockdown, Dominic Raab flew to east Africa for a three-state tour.
Mr Raab stated the journey to Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia was an ‘invaluable alternative to strengthen key partnerships’.
In addition to boosting commerce and safety hyperlinks, the multi-flight journey was heralded for aiding the struggle in opposition to local weather change.
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The senior minister has flown hundreds of miles this 12 months, usually on journeys the place he’s eager to debate the local weather.
He travelled to Indonesia and Brunei in early April, whereas in June alone he travelled to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Italy.
Commerce Minister
When Graham Stuart travelled to Dubai in March, the United Arab Emirates was on the UK’s journey crimson checklist.
Native media reported that the MP was there to verify on the progress of the UK pavilion on the world expo in Dubai happening later this 12 months.
Through the week-long journey, Mr Stuart met with ministers and enterprise leaders to debate points together with renewable vitality.
Sports activities Minister
Nigel Huddleston apparently dodged quarantine guidelines to seize selfies with Crew GB heroes in Tokyo final month.
With Tokyo in a state of emergency amid surging Covid instances, strict guidelines imply athletes, officers and journalists are banned from leaving their resort rooms for 3 to 6 days after arriving.
Households of athletes are banned, and spectators aren’t allowed into stadiums.
Nigel Huddleston apparently dodged quarantine guidelines to seize selfies with Crew GB heroes in Tokyo final month (pictured)
However no sooner had the Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire touched down on July 30, he visited the Tokyo Aquatics Centre the place he soaked up the glory of Crew GB’s gold medal within the combined 4x 100m relay.
He gushed on his weblog: ‘I felt privileged to witness our unbelievable swimmers win their gold medal, just a few hours after arriving in Tokyo.’
The Authorities stated he travelled beneath a diplomatic exemption as its solely official consultant and complied with testing protocols.
