Dominic Raab ‘acted within rules’ after not quarantining post-France visit

Foreign secretary faces criticism for dodging his own travel rules after a trip to Paris

Dominic Raab elbows with French Defence Minister Florence Parly as Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace look on before a meeting in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

The government has dismissed criticism of Dominic Raab after claims he had flouted his own quarantine rules after a visit to France last month.

The foreign secretary acted “within the rules” when he was travelling “on diplomatic business”, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

The Sunday Mirror said Mr Raab had dodged the government’s travel rules by not going into quarantine after returning from a trip to Paris.

Mr Raab moved the country onto the ‘amber plus’ list on 16 July amid fears of the prevalent Beta variant on the island of Reunion, meaning all Brits – including those who had received both vaccine shots – had to quarantine for 10 days upon their return to the UK. The rules have since been relaxed.

The foreign secretary visited the country 10 days later, dodging the 10-day quarantine on his return. He met with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and Princess Anne, and also visited the Oxford AstraZeneca plant just days after his arrival.

Government ministers are exempt from quarantine on account of conducting essential state business for the UK outside of the country. The exemptions cover both red list and non-red list countries.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds criticised Mr Raab for failing to quarantine after a trip to France, despite moving the country onto its own amber plus list less than a fortnight earlier.

She said: “No wonder the Tories don’t understand the chaos they’ve created when ministers don’t apply the rules to themselves.

“Senior Con­ser­vatives are taking the public for fools. It’s always one rule for them and another for everyone else.”

In a statement, a FCDO spokesperson said: “The Foreign Secretary travels on diplomatic business within the rules.

“It is his job to pursue the UK’s interests abroad, including on security, trade, and international development.”