WARRINGTON South MP Faisal Rashid has benefitted from almost £10,000 worth of free overseas trips – including to Qatar and China – since he won the seat.

BBC analysis of Parliament's expenses register revealed MPs have benefitted from more than £2 million worth of free trips abroad in the last two years.

Labour's Mr Rashid, who won his seat in the General Election in June 2017, has had five trips.

A trip to Qatar worth an estimated £4,600 was paid for by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a £1,500 trip to Azad Kashmir was paid for by the Government of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, a £1,235 trip to the West Bank and Israel was paid for by Medical Aid for Palestinians and a £669 trip to Germany was paid for by chemical firm BASF.

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He also benefitted from a £1,627 trip to China, which was paid for by the All-Party Parliamentary China Group, with sponsorship from John Swire & Sons, HSBC, City of London, Cambridge Assessment, Arup, and EDF Energy.

It brings the overall worth of the trips to £9,631.

The purpose of the Qatar visit included meeting ministers and officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues, while his trip to China was partly aimed at strengthening relations between the UK Parliament and the National People’s Congress of China.

Furthermore, the visit to Germany was described as an educational visit BASF's production site.

Mr Rashid says the trips enhance his 'ability to make informed decisions' on behalf of his constituents.

He added: "The trips that I have taken have enabled me to learn more about some of the issues I come across on a daily basis as a member of Parliament.

"These trips are largely educational in purpose.

"The opportunity to meet with individuals on the ground provides invaluable opportunities for learning and understanding.

"On occasions, the trips have also focused on enabling MPs to support British businesses abroad and on advancing bilateral relations.

"These are key aspects of a member of Parliament’s role, especially as the UK looks to redefine its position in the world post-Brexit."

The register confirmed Warrington North MP Helen Jones hasn’t had any free trips overseas since the 2017 General Election.