Taxpayers will foot the £28,200 bill to send Lord Jones of Birmingham, the Trade and Investment Minister, and his entourage to Beijing to represent British business interests at this year’s Olympics, The Times has learnt.

He will be accompanied by his private secretary and three officials from the Department of Business. They will host a series of events at the tail end of the Games, including breakfasts and seminars, to promote British businesses, from construction firms to creative design agencies.

Lord Jones’s trip begins on August 22 with a breakfast at the British Embassy for potential host cities of the 2016 Olympic Games at which British firms will show off their wares in an effort to secure lucrative contracts similar to the multibillion-pound deal that was awarded to Arup, Herzog & De Meuron to build the Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatic centre. Then he will jointly host a seminar with the Royal Institute of British Architects to promote UK design and expertise to a Chinese audience.

On August 23 Lord Jones will host a London 2012 event in which he will spell out the objectives Britain hopes to achieve from hosting the Games. Two days later he will host a reception showcasing 12 UK companies at the front line of sporting technology.

An aide said: “The visit is core to UKTI business objectives. Lord Jones will be doing his day job – banging the drum for UK plc.”

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