MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The traveling Foreign Secretary, 100.000 air miles and 20 countries in four months

Lord Cameron visits Gypsy Cove on the Falkland Islands last month, where he saw Magellanic Penguins (Pic PA)

The Daily Mail on Line has published that Lord David Cameron has travelled some 100,000 air miles and visited some 20 different countries during his four months as Foreign Secretary, zipping between European capitals and destinations further afield including Dubai, Paraguay, Thailand and the Falkland Islands. 

The Foreign Secretary travel itinerary largely reflects the current state of global geopolitics, particularly frequenting Eastern Europe and the Middle East in his efforts to urge support for Ukraine and encourage efforts towards a 'lasting ceasefire' in Gaza. Nevertheless he has also found the time for more unusual diplomatic missions, including a trip to the Falkland Islands last month. 

Mail on Line quotes George Osbrone, who served in a Cameron cabinet as chancellor.  'He wants to go and visit the places that he heard about when he was a child following the troops at school - and what's the point of being Foreign Secretary if you can't get in a bit of political tourism along the way,' Ms Osborne told the Political Currency podcast. 

'There's a perfectly legitimate foreign policy motive - to show support for the Falkland islanders - but it's also a pretty cool trip.' 

Lord Cameron has travelled around 90,043 miles so far as Foreign Secretary, according to an estimate by MailOnline that includes an upcoming trip to Australia for talks about the AUKUS nuclear sub deal. 

This week he was in Bangkok, where he met the Thai prime minister on his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region as Foreign Secretary.

As well as meeting Thailand's prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, Lord Cameron inspected Thai air force jets built with British parts and visited a university to highlight UK support for health and energy research.

His jam-packed schedule has prompted praise from his foreign colleagues, with one European diplomat telling the Guardian he was 'getting a lot done'. 

Peter Ricketts, who served as national security adviser and ambassador to Paris during Lord Cameron's premiership, suggested his previous role made him perfect for the job.

'Cameron always found foreign affairs fascinating as prime minister, and now he can do it full time. With the authority that comes with… he can speak out and he can push the envelope on British policy, as he did over the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state.'

However, some will undoubtedly question the cost of his foreign adventures, as well as their carbon footprint. In November, eyebrows were raised when Lord Cameron, Charles III and Rishi Sunak flew in three separate private jets to the Cop28 in Dubai. 

Liberal Democrat climate spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said at the time: 'Sunak and Cameron travelling to this vital summit in separate jets is not just a waste of taxpayers' cash, it sends all the wrong signals about the UK's climate commitments.'

The cost of Lord Cameron's foreign itinerary is not yet known but is likely to be significant - with just one trip taken to the Asia Pacific by his predecessor James Cleverly costing more than £560,000 or air transport alone. 

Lord Cameron earns £104,000 a year and is the first Foreign Secretary to operate from the House of Lords since Lord Carrington, who resigned in 1982 during the Falklands crisis.

 Next he will travel to Adelaide in Australia for a summit about AUKUS, a US$ 368bn (£190bn) nuclear-powered submarine project that will see the UK and USA help Australia build a fleet of next-generation nuclear submarines.

 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who inherited the pact from the previous conservative government, has defended it as necessary in the face of China's build-up of military power in the region, which he has called the largest since World War Two.