The Government's climate tsar has been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged he has flown to at least 30 countries in the past seven months to prepare for the COP26 environmental summit.

       Despite visiting at least six countries on the red list, Alok Sharma has avoided mandatory hotel quarantine after each trip because of a ministerial exemption, according to the Daily Mail.

       He has also been allowed to skip self-isolation after returning from amber list destinations.

       The president of the COP26 is currently in South America where he has visited Bolivia and Brazil, both of which are on the red list.

       Among those to criticise the minister's extensive travel itinerary was Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, a Green Party peer, who said: "I do understand it's very good to meet people in person, but this is excessive. When you're in charge of COP26, to take this many flights is hypocritical."

       Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: "As usual with this government, it's one rule for them and another for everybody else.

       "While Alok Sharma flies to red-list countries with abandon, hard-working families can hardly see loved ones or plan holidays as the Government changes travel rules on the hoof."

       A government spokesman said Mr Sharma had held many video calls this year, but that it was also important that he met world leaders in person to prepare for COP26.

       They added that the Government would calculate the carbon emitted for the event and the flights by Mr Sharma in order to offset it through schemes such as tree-planting.

       In May, analysis by The Telegraph found that Mr Sharma took 25 flights in three months, travelling up to 73,853 miles between Jan 31 and May 12, after which one Tory MP dubbed him "air miles Alok".