A former Conservative international development minister has criticised Afghans for “queuing at the airport” in Kabul to flee the Taliban.
Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne challenged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer if he would flee his country if the UK were overthrown by a “wicked and brutal regime”.
New Forest West MP Sir Desmond asked: “Were the government of this kingdom to be overthrown by a wicked and brutal regime, I venture that he would want a leading role in the resistance, he wouldn’t be queuing at the airport would he?”
While some MPs shouted “disgrace” at Sir Desmond’s remarks, while the Labour leader hit back – saying he would not “take that” from the former Tory minister.
“When I was director of public prosecutions I had some of my prosecutors in Afghanistan at huge risk working on counterterrorism with other brave souls there. So I won’t take that from him or anybody else,” said Sir Keir.
Labour MPs were swift to condemn Sir Desmond’s remarks suggesting cowardice on the part of Afghans. Yasmin Qureshi said she was “disgusted” by his comments, while fellow backbencher Charlotte Nichols tweeted: “Absolutely vile intervention from Sir Desmond Swayne … the lack of humanity is staggering.”
Speaking during Wednesday’s debate in the Commons, the Labour leader accused Boris Johnson of “appalling” judgement and called on the prime minister to “snap out of his complacency” to deal with the crisis.
He said Mr Johnson’s initial response to the Taliban “arriving at the gate of Kabul was to go on holiday”. Sir Keir also claimed Mr Johnson’s last visit to Afghanistan while foreign secretary was motivated by his desire to “avoid a vote on Heathrow”.
Referring to foreign secretary Dominic Raab’s recent trip to Cyprus, cut short on Sunday, the Labour leader said: “The foreign secretary shakes his head, I wouldn’t have stayed on holiday”.
Sir Keir added: “You cannot coordinate an international response from the beach” – accusing both Mr Raab and Mr Johnson of a “dereliction of duty”.
Referring to defence secretary Ben Wallace’s claim that some Afghans working with the British officials “won’t get back” from the country, Sir Keir said: “The defence secretary has said that some people who worked with us will not get back. Unconscionable.”
The Labour leader added: “The government must outline a plan to work with our allies to do everything that’s possible to ensure that does not happen.”
The leader of the opposition also addressed those veterans and their families, especially the families of those who died. “Your sacrifice was not in vain, you brought stability, reduced the terrorist threat and enabled progress – we are all proud of what you did.”
Sir Keir added: “Your sacrifice deserves better than this and so do the Afghan people. There’s been a major miscalculation of the resilience of the Afghan forces and a staggering complacency from our government about the Taliban threat.”
The government has been accused of not moving quickly enough after it said it would take up to 20,000 refugees over the “long term” – but only 5,000 in the first year. Sir Keir said the government’s scheme failed to “meet the scale of the enormous challenge”.
Backbencher MPs also raised concerns about the numbers of refugees being accepted from Afghanistan, asking whether those left behind will have to “hang around and wait until they have been executed”.
Labour MP Chris Bryant asked: “The home secretary announced this morning that 20,000 – that the UK will be taking 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan – but that only 5,000 will be able to come this year. What are the 15,000 meant to do? Hang around and wait until they have been executed?”
Former PM Theresa May has criticised the government’s “incomprehensible” failure to bring together an alternative alliance to prevent the collapse of the Afghan government. “We boast about Global Britain, but where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul?”
Fellow Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat – a former soldier who served in Afghanistan – was applauded following an emotional speech in the Commons.
Mr Tugendhat ended by recalling his time as an advisor to the governor of Helmand and the “joy” given to families by the opening of schools for girls, adding: “I didn’t understand it until I took my own daughter to school about a year ago.”
He added: “There was a lot of crying when she first went in, but I got over it and it went OK. I’d love to see that continue.”
