The Conservative chair of the defence select committee is facing a no confidence vote over a tweet which appeared to praise the progress of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East and a former soldier, deleted the tweet on Wednesday night after telling TalkTV: “I got it wrong”. » Read More
In an urgent question, James Heappey gave a statement regarding the recent allegations of malpractice by British special forces when in Afghanistan. Heappey told the House of Commons that “it is absolutely right that personnel are held to account”. However, the defence minister denied the suggestion that the Ministry of Defence had be “flippant” in…
Conservative MP John Baron asked an urgent question in which he stressed to foreign minister Vicky Ford that “there remains around 180 British Council contractors in Afghanistan”, 85 of which the UK has classified at “very high risk”. Baron highlighted to Ford the issue that the government’s new application service for these individuals will have…
In a damning report from the foreign affairs committee, MPs say the Foreign Office, the National Security Advisor and Ministers must accept responsibility for the failure to prepare or respond, abandoning the UK’s allies and damaging the UK’s interests. Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan is the result of the committee’s inquiry…
The charity Open Doors heard from an Afghan woman with the given name of Zabi. Her father was taken, tortured and executed. A few months later, her brother was also taken and never seen or heard from again. Zabi and her mother fled to another country after the Taliban takeover and they survive amidst total uncertainty…
Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee publishes written evidence submitted to the Committee by a whistleblower who worked on the Afghanistan Crisis Response within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The evidence will form part of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry into the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The whistleblower, Raphael Marshall, worked for the FCDO as a Desk Officer.…
Former Conservative MP Rory Stewart says NATO’s inability to act independently from U.S. foreign policy is “very worrying”. Giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee on the UK’s foreign policy in Afghanistan, Stewart was asked by the chair Tom Tugendhat what the UK should have done differently. The former international development secretary argued the UK…
MPs clashed during an opposition day debate today regarding Labour’s proposal to set up a joint committee to investigate the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lisa Nandy brought forward the bill, saying: “Two decades of work: the transformation of the economy through landmine clearance, the improvements to health care, media…
