The Conservative MP for North Somerset spent a third of the month of January 2022 outside of the UK, according to the MPs' Register of Interests.
The latest data shows Dr Liam Fox spent 11 days abroad, of which eight were days when the House of Commons was sitting. Of all the sitting days in the month of January, Dr Fox was abroad for 36 per cent of them.
On the 11 days that he was travelling, Dr Fox spent time in the US, Hungary, the UAE, and Dubai, with expenses totalling approximately £20,541, paid for by the groups sponsoring the trips.
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Issues discussed in the House of Commons during this time included Covid restrictions, Russian aggression, and broadband in his own constituency.
A spokesman for Dr Fox said he always puts 'his constituents first'.
The trips are detailed below:
January 5 to January 8, 2022 (4 days) - Georgia, USA
According to Dr Fox's filing in the Register of Members' Financial Interests, he was in Georgia, US from January 5 to January 8 where he was the Keynote Speaker at the 'Awakening Conference'.
It was hosted by the Heritage Foundation - one of the most influential Conservative think tanks in the US - that was an early supporter of former US president, Donald Trump. CNN said that during the transition from Obama to Trump in 2016 that "no other Washington institution has that kind of footprint in the transition", referencing the Trump Administration staffing in particular.
ABOVE: Dr Liam Fox is pictured at the Awakening Conference with former US Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence.
The conference held sessions on 'protecting children from racial discrimination and radical sex education', 'how to raise a little patriot' and 'rebuilding marriage for a new generation'. Dr Fox gave the keynote speech entitled: 'The World Beyond Brexit: US/UK Relations'.
The Heritage Foundation spent approximately £14,990 on flights and hotel accommodation for one staff member and himself during his four-day trip.
During the days that Dr Fox was abroad, the Health Secretary announced in the Commons that Plan B Covid restrictions would remain in place at that time, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi announced that face coverings would still be required in classrooms, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gave a statement on the threat to Ukraine from Russia.
January 9 to January 13, 2022 (5 days) - Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Just a day after returning from the conference in the US, Dr Fox jetted off to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from January 9 to January 13 as part of a parliamentary delegation to promote the Abraham Accords - agreements between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain establishing diplomatic and trade ties.
Dr Fox is Chair of the UK Abraham Accords Group, and the Middle East Forum paid approximately £2,741 for flights and a hotel for the MP, according to the register.
The House of Commons was sitting on all but one of those days. On January 10, Michael Gove announced in Parliament the government's plan to deal with the cladding crisis and on January 13 it was announced to the Commons that the Covid self-isolation period would be reduced.
ABOVE: Dr Fox is pictured eating dinner at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce alongside fellow MPs in the delegation.
On January 11, Angela Rayner asked an Urgent Question on the allegations of parties having been held in Downing Street while the country was under lockdown restrictions. Dr Fox has defended the prime minister, saying he should be given the "benefit of the doubt".
On the same day, there was also a debate in Westminster Hall that was entitled 'Ultrafast Broadband: Devon and Somerset'. MPs discussed improving the "sorry state" of broadband connectivity in those counties.
January 20 to January 21, 2022 (2 days) - Budapest, Hungary
After a week or so back in the UK, Dr Fox flew off once again to Budapest in Hungary where he spoke at the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy and the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade paid approximately £2,810 for flights and hotel accommodation for one staff member and himself. Dr Fox also received "some small gifts", included in the declared cost.
In a tweet on January 21, Dr Fox said: "A great pleasure to deliver a guest lecture at the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy on the complex challenges in an ever-changing world. This morning we discussed a range of topics including #covid19, #Brexit, China, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, wto [World Trade Organisation], #inflation & the global economy."
He also met with the Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjártó, where they discussed the Abraham Accords, for which Dr Fox tweet his thanks for the minister's "personal support, dedication and commitment".
On the two days that Dr Fox was abroad, there were no debates in Parliament that were directly relevant to him or his constituency.
ABOVE: Dr Fox delivering a guest lecture at the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy.
There is no suggestion that the North Somerset MP's globetrotting throughout the month of January was in any way inappropriate or not allowed. On all three trips, Dr Fox represented the UK on matters of trade, the economy, the Abraham Accords, and other foreign policy matters. These trips were declared as appropriate in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.
A spokesman for Dr Fox said: “Dr Fox always puts his constituents and his North Somerset Constituency first.
"He is one of the most regular contributors to proceedings in the House of Commons and is a local and active hardworking MP who holds regular fortnightly constituency surgeries which he has done since first being elected in 1992."
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