Dominic Raab was told by officials to return from his lavish holiday in Crete as the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan, but Boris Johnson allowed him to stay.
The Foreign Secretary reportedly persuaded Mr Johnson to let him remain on the family break for another two days.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “It’s staggering the Foreign Secretary found the time to pick up the phone to lobby the Prime Minister to extend his own holiday, but refused to call the Afghan government in the hours before Kabul fell to the Taliban.
“It’s little wonder the Prime Minister wasn’t able to order others back to Westminster when he chose to go on holiday himself as the Taliban were advancing on Kabul.” Mr Johnson went on vacation to Somerset despite warnings the Afghan government could fall within hours.
He was forced to return the next day. Mr Raab, whose holiday reportedly cost £40,000, finally returned the day after. He also faced flak last week because while he was in Crete officials told him to urgently contact the Afghan foreign minister to help rescue people from the Taliban, but the call was never made.
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Mr Johnson said yesterday he would convene a meeting of the G7 leaders for urgent talks tomorrow.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has appeared to urge the US to keep soldiers in Kabul after its August 31 deadline, warning “no nation will be able to get everyone out” by then. Labour leader Keir Starmer has written to the PM asking if there will be a joint NATO effort to secure Kabul airport when the US leaves and if he is trying to secure deals with Afghanistan’s neighbours “to shelter and process refugees who will need to leave Afghanistan... once the military evacuation ends”.
Tony Blair, who committed UK forces to Afghanistan some 20 years ago, said President Joe Biden’s decision to pull out troops was “in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’”.
The former PM added the UK has a “moral obligation” to stay until everyone who needs to be evacuated has gone.
Some MPs say they had over 100 calls this weekend from those unable to reach a hotline to assist people in the crisis.
Labour MP Sarah Jones: “We’re doing everything we can but it is really hard to get through to anyone who can help, and when we do, we have no guarantees anything can be done. I’ve had reports from constituents of family members being killed by the Taliban.”
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Labour’s Stephen Doughty said “One British citizen, separated from his wife and child stuck in Kabul airport, told me in tears he would rather be sent back and face death if it meant even a small chance that he could personally rescue them.
“This is life or death and the process needs an urgent overhaul.”
