Now Raab dodges travel rules: Foreign Secretary visited 'amber plus list' France but avoided quarantine on his return... and met Princess Anne while not wearing mask two days later

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Dominic Raab has been criticised for dodging Covid quarantine after a diplomatic trip to France - meeting mask-less with Princess Anne just two days later 

The Foreign Secretary was in Paris for a meeting with French counterpart Yves Le-Drian on July 27, when France was still on the amber-plus list - meaning mandatory quarantine for any Brits returning from the country.

But Raab used an exemption for Cabinet ministers to dodge the isolation period, and just a day later was meeting with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in London.

Then, on the evening of July 28, he met mask-less with Princess Anne and dozens of foreign dignitaries during a reception event for the global education summit.

It comes after climate minister Alok Sharma came under fire for his quarantine-free trips to 30 destinations including five red list countries since January.

July 26: Dominic Raab meets with French foreign minister Yves Le-Drian in Paris, before exempting himself from quarantine on return to the UK using rule for Cabinet ministers

July 28: Raab is pictured meeting mask-less with Princess Anne and other foreign dignitaries at a reception for the Global Education Summit in London

Raab's busy post-Paris schedule also included mask-less meetings and elbow-bumps with leaders of Malawi, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Niger on July 29 during the education summit - which helped raise $4billion for global school initiatives.

He also visited a UK vaccine factory, located in Oxford. 

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour Party chair, told the Sunday Mirror that the government is applying 'one rule for them and another for everyone else.

'No wonder the Tories don’t understand the chaos they’ve created when ministers don’t apply the rules to themselves,' she added.

But the Foreign and Commonwealth Office defended Mr Raab's actions, saying he has obeyed the rules for senior ministers on overseas trips.

'He’s the Foreign Secretary. It’s his job to represent the UK abroad,' a spokesman for the department said.

France was first placed on the 'amber plus' list on July 19, meaning that all returning travellers had to self-isolate even if they are double vaccinated.

July 27: Just a day after returning from France, Mr Raab met with Kenya's president in London

July 28: Mr Raab also toured a vaccine-making laboratory in Oxford to see where British jabs destined to help overseas countries are being produced

July 29: A mask-less Raab bumps elbow with world leaders including Sierra Leone's president (pictured) at an education summit in London

Isolation lasts for 10 days, though people can be released early on day five provided they have twice tested negative for Covid using PCR tests.

The move caused fury among travellers and French diplomats who accused the UK of playing politics with travel restrictions, as France was the only country in Europe to be included on the list.

Raab tried to justify the move on July 29 - just days after his return from France - saying the decision was taken because of the spread of the spread of the potentially vaccine-busting Beta variant on La Renuion.

The French territory is an island located 6,000 miles from Paris near Madagascar, but Raab insisted the distance was irrelevant - saying it was the ease of travel between the island and mainland France that counts.

After widespread ridicule and indignation, transport secretary Grant Shapps clarified that this was not the main factor in the government's reasoning.

France has since moved off the amber plus list, with double-jabbed arrivals no longer having to isolate from 8am today.

At the time of Mr Raab's trip, France was on the UK's 'amber plus' list - meaning that even double-jabbed Brits returning from holidays had to isolate for 10 days

 France has since been removed from the amber plus list along with other changes to the UK's traffic light system which came into effect today

Mr Sharma has also defended his extensive travel itinerary and use of the quarantine exemption rule, saying face-to-face meetings with foreign leaders are 'incredibly vital and actually impactful'.

The climate secretary's round-the-world ventures come as he tries to get foreign nations to commit to cutting carbon emissions ahead of Cop26 - a UN climate summit that will take place in Glasgow this year, of which Sharma is president.

Green groups have refused to condemn Mr Sharma and the Government was robust in his defence.

Mr Sharma told the Guardian: '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.'

He added he was 'throwing the kitchen sink' at the negotiations.