A pro-Israel Tory lobby group has taken British MPs on 155 free trips over the last ten years, in an unprecedented charm offensive to promote the country in Westminster.
An investigation by openDemocracy has revealed that the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) paid for MPs to go on more overseas trips than any other donor. Records show the group fully or partially funded trips with an overall value of £367,000 since 2012.
It is part of a £8m splurge from a range of donors to fly MPs abroad, often including wining and dining with foreign diplomats and dignitaries. Overall, 713 current or former MPs have accepted more than 3,100 all-expenses-paid trips.
