Defence Minister James Heappey is "certain" Dominic Raab's refusal to make a phone call to Afghanistan's foreign minister would not have changed the nation's "speed of collapse".
Mr Heappey echoed Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's comments yesterday as he said "no one phone call" would have changed the "trajectory" of the crisis.
Dominic Raab refused to follow advice from officials in his department and make an “urgent” call to the Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar on August 13 – two days before the Taliban marched on Kabul.
Mr Raab had been holidaying at a five-star hotel in Crete.
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The phone call was needed to arrange help for those who supported British troops.
Mr Heappey today said he doesn't have the details of individual ministers call sheets and could only comment on what he sees in his meeting and via his phone calls.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 this morning Mr Heappey said: "What I can tell you, as the Secretary of State (Ben Wallace) said yesterday, is I know that no one phone call would have been decisive in changing the trajectory – either for the collapse of the Afghan government or indeed the acceleration of the airlift.”
He did claim people at all levels in the UK Government are "working their backsides off" to evacuate people, following questions on Dominic Raab's role in the response to the Afghanistan crisis.
The Defence minister who served in Afghanistan during his time in the army moved on to highlight the UK's apparent successful evacuation operation so far.
"In the last 24 hours, 963 people have been evacuated from Kabul on the RAF 'air bridge', he added.
Mr Raab rejected calls to resign on Thursday following heavy criticism from opposition parties of his role in the Afghanistan crisis.
Labour, the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru accused him of failing to “perform his basic duties” and argued he is “no longer fit” to represent the country.
The Government has announced Britain will take up to 20,000 people wanting to exit Afghanistan as part of its resettlement scheme, with 5,000 due to be accepted in the next 12 months.
On Thursday, Mr Raab chaired a call of G7 foreign ministers to discuss the crisis, saying afterwards that foreign ministers had agreed each will “engage with partners” to try and secure an “inclusive political settlement” and to enable humanitarian assistance and prevent further loss of life in Afghanistan and to the international community from terrorism.
Labour has demanded details about the Government’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan and the Foreign Secretary’s holiday to the Greek island of Crete while Kabul fell to the Taliban.
It has set out a list of 18 urgent questions for the Foreign Secretary to answer about his trip and his department’s handling of the crisis.
