Ministerial St Patrick's Day trips ignore South America

Rising superpowers Brazil and India have been left off the list of ministerial St Patrick’s Day visits, despite claims by the Coalition the annual exodus is about trade not junkets.

When coming to power in 2011, the Government insisted it would cut back on the trips, but this year will see 27 ministers head off abroad, with 16 travelling long-distance.

The omission of Brazil, whose economy recently overtook that of Britain’s in size to become the world’s sixth largest from the ministerial itinerary seems at odds with the Government’s claim that the trips are the “cornerstone” of the country’s international overseas trade and investment push.