Dominic Raab faces demands to resign or be sacked after he failed to make a crucial phone call about rescuing Afghan translators while on holiday in Crete.
The Foreign Secretary delegated the call to an Afghan counterpart about arranging the return of brave Army interpreters - defying advice from his own officials.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today claimed the Afghan government “was melting away faster than ice” and “no phone call would have made the slightest difference at that time.”
Asked in Downing Street if he would resign today, Mr Raab bluntly told reporters: "No".
But Lisa Nandy, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, said: "How can Boris Johnson allow the Foreign Secretary to continue in his role after yet another catastrophic failure of judgement?
“If Dominic Raab doesn't have the decency to resign, the Prime Minister must show a shred of leadership and sack him."
Mr Raab faces widespread calls to quit after he was 'too busy' to urgently help translators flee Afghanistan from the conquering Taliban.
He was told speed was of the essence to speak with Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar about help in getting the interpreters out of the country - without passports or visas if necessary.
“We recommend the Foreign Secretary urgently calls the Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar,” senior officials said in the message sent last Friday, seen by the Daily Mail.
But instead they were reportedly told he wasn’t free and the task was delegated to Foreign Office on duty, Lord Goldsmith.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “He couldn’t even make one phone call? Why is he still in the job this morning?”
Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "Who wouldn't make a phone call if they were told it could save somebody's life?"
Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: "Dominic Raab must resign today.
"If he does not, the Prime Minister should finally show some leadership, and sack him."
SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford said: "Tory ministers cannot wash their hands of responsibility for this foreign policy disaster.
"Dominic Raab has failed to perform his basic duties as Foreign Secretary, and he has put people's lives at risk. His position is completely untenable and he must resign, or be sacked."
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts said: “The Foreign Secretary and the life-saving phone call he didn’t make: a failure of political judgement, a shoulder-shrug to duty and a callous lack of humanity. He failed to make the right call. The Foreign Secretary no longer commands respect following his mishandling of duties during the Afghanistan emergency. Dominic Raab should resign or be removed from post.”
Former ITV presenter Piers Morgan tweeted: “Raab’s been a total shambles in this crisis, and now this. He should resign.”
Former top prosecutor Nazir Afzal added: “This is a serious dereliction of duty, if true, & Raab should resign.
“People who served the U.K effort may have lost their lives as a result.”
The Foreign Office said: “The Foreign Secretary was engaged on a range of other calls and this one was delegated to another minister.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace defended Mr Raab, telling Sky News: “One phone call is not the reason we are where we are at the moment.
“I have had no problem dealing with the Foreign Secretary or the Foreign Office throughout this process.”
But Ms Nandy added: "What could possibly have been more important than safeguarding the legacy of two decades of sacrifice and hard-won victories in Afghanistan?
"While the Foreign Secretary lay on a sun lounger, the Taliban advanced on Kabul and 20 years of progress was allowed to unravel in a matter of hours."
Chaotic scenes continue in the Afghanistan capital where opponents to the Taliban are desperate to get out with many fearing for their lives.
Labour's leader Keir Starmer yesterday told the Commons: "You cannot co-ordinate an international response from the beach!"
A furious-looking Mr Raab shook his head and asked what Labour's leader would have done differently.
Mr Starmer shot back: "What would I have done differently? I wouldn't stay on holiday whilst Kabul was falling."
Mr Raab spent the weekend as Kabul fell in a five-star "sparkling boutique resort for the privileged and perceptive", only returning to London in the early hours of Monday.
Boris Johnson had also been on holiday for one day as the Taliban marched on Kabul, but cut his UK break short on Sunday afternoon.
