Dominic Raab was on Wednesday facing his toughest interrogation yet on his missteps in the Afghanistan crisis, as a former foreign secretary questioned his role in allowing the development of a “distant” relationship with Washington which allowed the UK to be blindsided over the abrupt pullout of US troops.
Ahead of the beleaguered Raab’s appearance at an emergency meeting of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Jack Straw told The Independent that the failure of Joe Biden’s administration to warn the UK of its planned withdrawal of military forces would never have happened under the Blair and Brown governments in which he served.
And Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said Mr Raab was responsible for “the biggest foreign policy failing in a generation” and must resign if he was unable to tell MPs in the 90-minute grilling how he intended to put it right.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace last night described as a “Dunkirk by WhatsApp” the effort to assist up to 300 Afghans who worked for the UK military but missed out on evacuation with around 700 dependents before the final Western troops left Kabul airport on Monday.
Speaking privately by conference call to MPs, Mr Wallace said Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed to use phone calls and electronic messages to get into one-to-one contact with as many of the Afghans as possible to help them flee to sanctuary in the UK. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has been appointed to chair a cross-government working group to over see the drive.
But Mr Wallace acknowledged that – as with Dunkirk – much of the assistance being offered to the desperate former UK employees is coming independently of government, often from members of the forces community with links to Afghanistan.
One backbencher on the conference call told The Independent that Mr Wallace faced “exasperation” from MPs who said that the government appeared to be “flying by the seat of its pants”. One MP demanded rapid confirmation on whether individuals whose cases they raise are in fact be entitled to come to the UK, in order to avoid advising them to make the perilous journey to neighbouring countries like Pakistan only for them to be turned down.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 31 August 2021 Women hold umbrellas to cover from rain as they wait to receive a dose of COVISHIELD vaccine in Kolkata, India Reuters World news in pictures 30 August 2021 Taliban fighters investigate a damaged car after multiple rockets were fired in Kabul AFP/Getty World news in pictures 29 August 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard as Talibans acting Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani (not pictured) addresses a gathering during a consultative meeting on Taliban’s general higher education policies at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabu AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2021 A child that was evacuated from Afghanistan looks on at the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, Germany Reuters World news in pictures 27 August 2021 Soldiers take a selfie before a military parade in Chisinau, Moldova EPA World news in pictures 26 August 2021 Smoke rises from the site of a suspected suicide bombing outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 25 August 2021 Egypt’s Ibrahim Elhusseiny Hamadtou in action during his Men’s Singles Class 6 Group E Table Tennis match at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA World news in pictures 24 August 2021 People take pictures of fireworks outside the stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 23 August 2021 Staff members spraying disinfectant at a school ahead of the new semester in Bozhou, China’s eastern Anhui province AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 August 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan area in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 21 August 2021 Mexican firefighters known as “Topos” work in the early morning hours in a search and rescue mission, amid the rubble from last week’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, in Les Cayes, Haiti AP World news in pictures 20 August 2021 Bangladeshi vendor sells a religious item during a Muharram event at the premises of Hussaini Dalan in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA World news in pictures 19 August 2021 Law enforcement officers with rifles take position near the US Capitol building in Washington DC as police investigate a possible explosive device in a truck near the heart of American government AP World news in pictures 18 August 2021 A Taliban fighter patrols in Wazir Akbar Khan in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 17 August 2021 Art students paint messages of solidarity with people at risk in Afghanistan’s crisis outside an art school in Mumbai AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2021 Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport AFP via Getty World news in pictures 15 August 2021 Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Kandahar province in southwest Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 14 August 2021 A collapsed building is seen in Les Cayes, Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which left at least 29 people dead Reuters World news in pictures 13 August 2021 Perseids are seen next to Milky Way during the annual Perseid meteor shower at Tres Mares peak, in Cantabria, northern Spain EPA World news in pictures 12 August 2021 A woman sits along the broken steps of a partially-collapsed building destroyed by bombardment during the May 2021 conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City AFP via Getty World news in pictures 11 August 2021 People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Talibans, who have taken over the control of the Afghan side of the border at Chaman, Pakistan EPA World news in pictures 10 August 2021 Supporters cheer outside French football club Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium in Paris after Argentinian football player Lionel Messi landed in Le Bourget airport to sign for the club AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 August 2021 People perform a folk dance to traditional music as they celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in Mumbai, India EPA World news in pictures 8 August 2021 Thank you messages is displayed inside the stadium during the Olympic closing ceremony in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 7 August 2021 Pro-democracy protesters clash with police during a demonstration demanding Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-Ochas and King Maha Vajiralongkorn be held accountable for the governments failure to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, in Bangkok AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 August 2021 Members of local NPO release paper lanterns on Motoyasu River in front of beside the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, as it was known before 1945, and now called the Atomic Bomb Dome, as the city marks the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack AFP/Getty World news in pictures 5 August 2021 The Men’s Decathletes pose for a photo following their competition on day thirteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan Getty World news in pictures 4 August 2021 Maronite clergymen pray near damaged grain silos at the port of Lebanon’s capital on the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the port and the city AFP/Getty World news in pictures 3 August 2021 An underwater view shows France’s Charlotte and Laura Tremble during the women’s duet technical routine artistic swimming event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP/Getty World news in pictures 2 August 2021 Germany compete in the women’s team pursuit qualifying event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Izu Velodrome AFP/Getty World news in pictures 1 August 2021 enezuela’s Yulimar Rojas competes in the women’s triple jump final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Rojas took gold and broke the Olympic and World Record in the process AFP/Getty World news in pictures 31 July 2021 Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the gold medal ahead of Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the women’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympic Games Reuters World news in pictures 30 July 2021 Athletes compete during the men’s 3000m Steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics Reuters World news in pictures 29 July 2021 Athletes compete in the BMX men’s Olympic quarter-finals run at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 July 2021 A picture taken with a drone shows researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University investigating a dead fin whale found in the harbor of Terneuzen, The Netherlands EPA World news in pictures 27 July 2021 People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk past extra papers reporting on Japanese gold medalists at Tokyo Olympics AP World news in pictures 26 July 2021 The ball hits Thailand’s Orawan Paranang’s face as she competes against Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa during her women’s singles round 3 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 25 July 2021 A woman walks in the rubble after flooding due to heavy rains in Dinant, Belgium, a week after more than 30 people were killed in floods in the country EPA World news in pictures 24 July 2021 A firefighter uses a drip torch to light a backfire in an effort to stop the spread of the Dixie fire in Prattville, California AFP/Getty World news in pictures 23 July 2021 An overview shows Japan’s tennis player Naomi Osaka lighting the flame of hope in the Olympic Cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 July 2021 People wade through a flooded street following a heavy rain in Zhengzhou, in China’s Henan province AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 July 2021 People celebrate in Brisbane, Australia, following an announcement by the International Olympic Committee that the city was picked to host the 2032 Olympics AAP Image via AP World news in pictures 20 July 2021 Muslims attending the Eid Al-Adha prayer at Skenderbej Square in Tirana AFP/Getty World news in pictures 19 July 2021 Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual Haj pilgrimage outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia Reuters World news in pictures 18 July 2021 People protest against the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan Reuters World news in pictures 17 July 2021 A long exposure photograph shows Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca during the annual hajj pilgrimage AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 July 2021 A van crushed by the torrents is pressed against a tree after the floods caused major damage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany AFP/Getty World news in pictures 15 July 2021 A staff member sits at an interactive digital installation “Fire / Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest” during a media preview of “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live” at the lobby of Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel, Takeo Hot Springs in Saga prefecture AFP/Getty World news in pictures 14 July 2021 Pupils of the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr march during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rescuers look for bodies after a catastrophic blaze erupted Monday at a coronavirus hospital ward in the al-Hussein Teaching Hospital, in Nasiriyah, Iraq AP
Downing Street confirmed that “surge staff” are being sent to Pakistan and other neighbours like Tajikistan or Uzbekistan to process claims for asylum in the UK, either in embassies or at border sites where refugees are flooding out of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
And No 10 confirmed comments from the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, who said that the UK was ready to use air-strikes to target the Isis-K terror group – an Afghan offshoot of Islamic State – in the country.
“We always reserve the right to exercise lawful self-defence and we never rule that out in relation to terror groups,” said Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the prime minister continued to have “full confidence” in the foreign secretary, after reports suggested he was “toast” in the next cabinet reshuffle following his decision to remain on holiday until after Kabul fell to insurgents and claims that he failed to make a key phone call which could have helped more people escape.
Mr Raab on Tuesday flatly denied that the UK pressured US troops to keep open a gate open at Kabul airport where a suicide bombing claimed by Isis-K killed more than 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US troops.
Leaked notes obtained by the Politico website suggested that US commanders planned to close Abbey Gate by Thursday afternoon amid intelligence of an imminent terror attack, but kept it open for longer to allow Britain to continue its own evacuation effort.
But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s simply not true to suggest that we pushed to keep the gate open.
“In response to the change in travel advice ahead of the attack last week, the UK moved operations out of the Baron Hotel.”
Asked about the state of transatlantic relations, he said: “The US continues to be our strongest ally.”
Downing Street said on Tuesday that the Prime Minister had left on Sunday for a four-day trip to the West Country with his family and would not return to No 10 until Thursday.
His official spokesman insisted that Mr Johnson was “continuing to work”, with Britons and Afghans remaining stranded after the withdrawal of forces from Kabul.
Ahead of today’s hearing of the cross-party foreign affairs committee, Mr Straw told The Independent that the foreign secretary would have to explain how the UK had been caught off guard by the sudden US withdrawal.
“Something like the withdrawal from Afghanistan, where plainly we had huge equity involved, ought not to have been just presented to us as a fait accompli,” said the former Labour minister, who was closely involved as foreign secretary in diplomatic preparations for the intervention in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago.
“It appears to me that the relationship with the US has become more distant and that is not good for the UK. I don’t think it would have happened in that way when Tony Blair was PM.” But another former foreign secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said that while Washington’s failure to forewarn its Nato allies was “unfortunate”, the rows over Afghanistan would not permanently damage relations.
“To suggest that Biden is like Trump in his treatment of Nato allies is absurd,” the Conservative former foreign secretary said. “Trump made a virtue of trying to split the alliance, Biden doesn’t take that view. He has made clear he is totally committed to Nato and I don’t think anything he has done is in conflict with that.”
Ms Nandy said: “This has been the biggest foreign policy failing in a generation.
“The foreign secretary had 18 months to prepare but was missing in action. As a result, on his watch Britain has become weaker in the world and faces greater risks from terrorism. We had to send our troops into real danger and, despite their heroic actions, thousands of Afghans who supported us over two decades are still at serious risk and British citizens abandoned.
“This is a government characterised by complacency and indifference, trying to shift the blame in a crisis instead of rolling up their sleeves. These are serious times that demand serious leadership. The buck stops with the Foreign Secretary. He must take responsibility today for what has been a catalogue of errors and poor judgment, come clean about those failings and set out a plan to set this right. If he can’t do that, he is not fit to hold office and he must resign.”
