TWO East Lancashire MPs have defended accepting six paid-for overseas trips worth more than £13,500 in 12 months.

Hyndburn's Graham Jones and Ribble Valley's Nigel Evans said their visits were not 'junkets' but fact finding missions.

The Parliamentary Register of Members Interests reveals MPs benefit from £1million worth of free overseas trips annually - most paid for by foreign governments.

In the 12 months after the June 8 2017 General Election Conservative Mr Evans took three trips worth £7,068: to Taiwan (£5,000); France (£1,075) and Gibraltar (£993).

Labour's Mr Jones also took three trips worth £6,542: to the United Arab Emirates (£3,800); Pakistan/Azad Kashmir (£1,500) and Israel and the Palestinian Territories (£1,242).

Mr Jones said: "Let's be clear about this. constituents accuse MPs of going on junkets but if you want to talk about somewhere, you need to go to the coal face and find out about it.

"I went to the UAE because it is a technology hub and has 100,000 British citizens living and working there.

"It is also the centre for fighting international and Islamic terrorism.

"I went to Palestine to see for myself what is happening on the ground. It is in an issue I am very concerned about. The trip was paid for through the Labour Friends of Palestine.

"The visit to Pakistan was to Azad Kashmir where many of my constituents come from."

Mr Evans said: "People think these overseas trips are a holiday but there is a lot of hard work involved.

"I am chairman of the Parliamentary Taiwan Group. As we are leaving the European Union we want to do trade deals with strong economies like Taiwan.

"I want to Toulouse to discuss the future of Airbus which several UK companies, including BAE Systems, make components for.

"The visit to Gibraltar was to discuss its relations with the EU and Spain.

"I am vice-chairman of the Commons International Trade Committee and if I am going to talk about global affairs I need to see things first hand for myself to make sure I am properly informed when I do so."

No overseas trips were registered by Blackburn Labour MP Kate Hollern; Burnley Labour MP Julie Cooper; Pendle Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson; or his Rossendale and Darwen part colleague Jake Berry.