Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much from the public purse was spent by each of his Trade Envoys in the last year.

Trade Envoys are a valuable resource and support Ministers in progressing our trade and investment agenda in 66 markets across the world. A total of £264,192 was spent in the last year (June 2022 – June 2023). These costs represent the cost of flights and some hotel and other sundry expenses when the official British residence was unavailable or inappropriate. It would not be in the national interest to publish individual breakdowns, given it could create misconceptions that certain countries were favoured or prioritised over others, undermining the UK’s international relations and diplomacy.