Trips and the flight fantastic

EAST Lancashire's MPs all appear to think that they are the Foreign Secretary as they jet off globetrotting at the drop of a hat.

Blackburn's Jack Straw has an excuse for his international travel as he really does hold the job.

But recently Burnley's Peter Pike was also in the West Indies with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association looking at the democratic process in St Vincent and Grenada.

Then Hyndburn's Greg Pope was off with the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to Iran for a week - one day of which Mr Straw was also there.

This week Ribble Valley Tory Nigel Evans has been in the United States looking at manufacturing, having joined the Welsh Affairs Committee just days before they set off across the Atlantic.

And Pendle's Gordon Prentice serves on the Council of Europe which involves regular trips to Brussels, Strasbourg and other continental cities.

Chorley's Lindsay Hoyle is a regular visitor to Gibraltar as chairman of the all party group trying to keep "The Rock" British.

Only Rossendale and Darwen's Janet Anderson rejects the temptation to fly off overseas on parliamentary business. As Tourism Minister, however, she whizzed around the world to places like Las Vegas, New York and Tokyo.

She said: "After I lost my ministerial job they put me on the Council of Europe but I lasted two weeks. I thought it was a waste of time.

"I seem to be the only East Lancashire MP who doesn't think they are the Foreign Secretary but I did do my share of travelling when I was Tourism Minister."