Justice minister spent £34,000 on US trip during World Cup

Mr Richards travelled to the US from July 12 until July 16, according to the Guido Fawkes political blog. It is not known where he watched the game, which took place on July 15.

The cost breakdown for the trip, first published by Guido, included around £24,000 for flights – including internal – as well as roughly £4,000 for ground transport, £3,000 for accommodation and £2,500 for subsistence and hospitality. The total came to just over £34,000.

The minister reportedly travelled with his private secretary, a civil servant specialising in youth sentencing, a videographer/photographer, and an “international engagement adviser”.

Mr Richards documented the visit on his LinkedIn profile, starting with a meeting with Mike Kehoe, the Republican governor of Missouri.

He shared several glossy photos of the pair together, with the caption: “Great to spend time with Governor Kehoe and to discuss the relationship between the UK and the great state of Missouri. Thank you for your hospitality.”

He then travelled to Chicago, Illinois, where he spent a “special morning” at the Barack Obama Presidential Centre.

In another post on LinkedIn, he said: “It is a place of hope and energy, full of history and ideas for the future. A reminder of our collective endeavour to build a fairer, more prosperous world. A real treat to be the first UK minister to visit.”

Richards kept on under Burnham

At the time, Mr Richards was the minister for sentencing, youth justice and international. He was reappointed to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) with a slightly different title after Andy Burnham took over as Prime Minister, but retained the youth justice brief.

Under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour launched plans for a “major overhaul” of the youth justice system, with a focus on tackling the root causes of youth crime.

The Government was set to consider raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years old as part of a more liberal approach to childhood offending.

Mr Burnham has not suggested he has any intent of scrapping the proposals, which were set out in a white paper in May.

In an article reflecting on the US trip, Mr Richards said the visit “provided a wealth of insight into how systems can be designed around public protection, rehabilitation, access to opportunity”.

He added: “The challenge now back at home is to consider how these lessons can inform our work in England and Wales as we deliver the Youth Justice White Paper. Because ultimately, we share the same goal on both.”

A spokesman for the MoJ said: “This trip took place to support the once-in-a-generation reforms we are making to our youth justice system.

“In Missouri, the minister saw how early intervention to tackle the root causes of youth crime can create safer communities and fewer victims.”

It is understood that Mr Richards did not attend any of the World Cup games in person.