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'It's certainly no holiday': After 'red list' quarantine row, climate tsar Alok Sharma defends flying to 30 countries in the line of duty

Climate tsar Alok Sharma has tried to defend his globetrotting amid anger at the revelations he escaped hotel quarantine after visiting ‘red list’ countries.

The president of the Cop26 global environmental summit claimed ‘it’s certainly no holiday’ following reports he had flown to at least 30 countries for talks on agreeing green targets.

Speaking for the first time since the Daily Mail disclosed he had been exempted from self-isolation after going to six ‘red list’ destinations, he attempted to justify the need to travel tens of thousands of miles to prepare the ground for this autumn’s talks in Glasgow.

The president of the Cop26 global environmental summit claimed ‘it’s certainly no holiday’

The president of the Cop26 global environmental summit claimed ‘it’s certainly no holiday’

Asked why he had travelled by plane so much, he said: ‘It really matters to be able to look people in the eye and build those relationships with ministers, and that’s what I’m doing.’

He also tried to play down the glamour of his time abroad, saying he still had to undergo numerous Covid tests during his travels. He added: ‘You get tested before you go, you get tested when you arrive, you get tested before you leave any of these countries.’

He insisted much of his time while travelling is spent in isolation, saying: ‘You will be taken to a hotel or to the British embassy compound, and you will wait there until your results come through.’

Not all of Mr Sharma’s 30 known visits abroad were return flights from the UK as, on occasion, he has gone to a cluster of countries on one trip

Not all of Mr Sharma’s 30 known visits abroad were return flights from the UK as, on occasion, he has gone to a cluster of countries on one trip

Mr Sharma’s aides said the closest he had come to a Caribbean beach on his visit to the region in spring was a glimpse through a car window.

They added that in Singapore, bands were put around the wrists of members of his team on arrival, which they suspect were used to track their location.

In Tokyo, they were ordered not to leave a house in the British embassy compound, and meals including quiche, salad and soup were left for them.

‘I think they assumed we didn’t have very adventurous palates,’ he told The Sunday Times.

The former business secretary, 53, has come under fire for the number of flights he has taken since the start of the year in his attempts to thrash out deals with countries dragging their feet on zero carbon emissions targets.

Last week he travelled to South America, where he visited both Bolivia and Brazil, before returning to Britain on Friday.

Travellers forced to quarantine for ten days in a hotel room at a cost of £1,750 – which is rising to £2,285 this week – reacted angrily after learning the Cabinet minister was permitted to return to his £1.7million home in Caversham, near Reading, as soon as he got back to the UK.

Despite visiting six countries on the UK’s travel ‘red list’ – Qatar, the UAE, Bangladesh, Turkey, Bolivia and Brazil – Mr Sharma was given a ministerial exemption from hotel quarantine each time.

He has also been able to avoid having to isolate at home following trips to ‘amber list’ destinations.

Days after returning from Bangladesh, Mr Sharma met Prince Charles indoors without wearing a mask – then visited a primary school. Ordinary travellers face fines of up to £10,000 for breaking travel quarantine rules.

Last week he travelled to South America, where he visited both Bolivia and Brazil, before returning to Britain on Friday

Last week he travelled to South America, where he visited both Bolivia and Brazil, before returning to Britain on Friday

Justifying his jet-setting, Mr Sharma said: ‘I have every week a large number of virtual meetings, but I can tell you that having in-person meetings with individual ministers is incredibly vital and actually impactful. It makes a vital difference, to build those personal relationships which are going to be incredibly important as we look to build consensus.’

More than half of Mr Sharma’s journeys were over the winter and spring months at the start of the year when international travel from Britain was largely banned.

He went to several destinations in Africa in February, then to India and Nepal. In March, he went to Costa Rica in central America and Kenya, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

In April, Mr Sharma went to South Korea and Japan, just days after a Covid state of emergency was declared there, then in May he visited four European countries.

Criticising the Tory minister for avoiding quarantine, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Sarah Olney said last week: ‘As usual with this Government, it’s one rule for them and another for everybody else.

‘While Alok Sharma flies to red list countries with abandon, hard-working families can hardly see loved ones or plan holidays as the Government changes travel rules on the hoof.’

Paul Charles, of travel consultancy the PC Agency, added: ‘It’s astonishing how the Government think they are above the law and can create rules for themselves.’

Air travel is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which led some to question whether Mr Sharma could and should have held more ‘virtual’ meetings.

Not all of Mr Sharma’s 30 known visits abroad were return flights from the UK as, on occasion, he has gone to a cluster of countries on one trip.

But travel to and from all the countries on his list would stretch to 200,000 miles.

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