Govt blasted for 'disaster' Kabul withdrawal and 'betrayal' of allies in scathing report

24 May 2022, 00:02 | Updated: 24 May 2022, 00:35

MPs have demanded the resignation of  Sir Philip Barton over the "appalling mismanagement" of the Kabul evacuation
MPs have demanded the resignation of Sir Philip Barton over the "appalling mismanagement" of the Kabul evacuation. Picture: Alamy

By Megan Hinton

MPs have demanded the resignation of the Foreign Office's top civil servant as they claim Afghan allies and British soldiers were "utterly let down by deep failures of leadership" in Government during the evacuation from Kabul.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

A scathing report published on Tuesday called for Sir Philip Barton to consider his position over a "determination to avoid unearthing the facts" during an inquiry by the cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee.

Then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab and Sir Philip's failures to return from holiday as Kabul fell in August last year marked a "fundamental lack of seriousness, grip or leadership", the MPs said.

Leaders at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) were told to be "ashamed" that civil servants had to risk their careers by blowing the whistle to unearth the "appalling mismanagement of the crisis" as the Taliban swept to power.

The MPs also said they are yet to hear a "plausible alternative explanation" to Prime Minister Boris Johnson approving the controversial evacuation for the Nowzad animal charity.

Read more: Partygate probe wasn't thorough as police didn't want to upset No10, says ex-Met chief

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on evacuation from Kabul

The committee said the withdrawal was a "disaster" and a "betrayal" of British allies that will damage the UK's interest for years to come.

Ministers were accused of having a "total absence of a plan" for Afghans who supported the British mission, despite knowing for 18 months that the evacuations may be necessary if the US withdrew its troops.

The hasty efforts to select individuals for airlift was "poorly devised, managed and staffed", with a lack of clarity causing "confusion and false hope among our Afghan partners who were desperate for rescue".

"They, and the many civil servants and soldiers working hard on the evacuation, were utterly let down by deep failures of leadership in Government," the committee said.

The FCDO was accused of giving "intentionally evasive, and often deliberately misleading" responses to the committee's investigations.

Sir Philip "displayed a worrying lack of knowledge of the department he leads" and a determination to avoid unearthing the facts, the MPs said.

Read more: Andrew Marr: There may be trouble ahead as the PM and his enemies await Sue Gray's report

Ministers were accused of having a "total absence of a plan" for Afghans who supported the British mission
Ministers were accused of having a "total absence of a plan" for Afghans who supported the British mission. Picture: Alamy

Mr Raab was moved to be Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary after the crisis, but the committee singled out permanent secretary Sir Philip for a failure to record the department's decisions.

"This would be a serious failure at any time, but during the withdrawal from Afghanistan may have led to the loss of life," the MPs concluded.

"The committee has lost confidence in the permanent under-secretary, who should consider his position."

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the committee, said: "The UK's part in this tragedy exposes a lack of seriousness in achieving coordination, a lack of clear decision-making, a lack of leadership and a lack of accountability.

"While junior officials demonstrated courage and integrity, chaotic and arbitrary decision-making runs through this inquiry.

"Sadly, it may have cost many people the chance to leave Afghanistan, putting lives in danger."

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the Government had "badly let down Britain's reputation", adding that the individuals responsible "for this calamity should be held accountable".

Read more: Putin survived assassination attempt just days into war, Ukraine says

Lord Lloyd Webber says we left too many people behind in Afghanistan

"This utterly damning report highlights the scale of the Government's incompetence, laziness and mishandling that likely cost lives and has badly damaged the UK's international standing," the Labour MP said.

"It shows how rotten this government is that after skipping the Afghanistan evacuation to sip cocktails on a beach, the Prime Minister rewarded Dominic Raab with the title of Deputy Prime Minister."

The Government issued a statement defending staff working "tirelessly" to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan in a fortnight.

"This was the biggest UK mission of its kind in generations and followed months of intensive planning and collaboration between UK government departments," a spokesman said.

"We carried out a thorough review to learn lessons from our withdrawal from Afghanistan and have drawn on many of the findings in our response to the conflict in Ukraine, including introducing new systems for managing correspondence and increasing senior oversight of our operational and diplomatic response."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Lydia Mugambe

United Nations judge forced woman to work as slave after tricking her to come to UK, court hears

Craig and Lindsay Foreman

Did motorbike couple's 'happiness' survey prompt arrest on spying charges in Iran?

Abdirahman Ibrahim has been convicted of murder after driving into the back of Liam Jones

Killer driver mows down e-bike rider to 'teach him lesson' for doing wheelies

The Vatican says Pope Francis is being treated for 'bilateral pneumonia'

New scans show Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs but Vatican says he remains ‘in good spirits’

Meghan

Meghan Markle could face 'legal action' from Spanish town as her new luxury brand logo faces resemblance to coat of arms

The father of murdered schoolgirl Sara Sharif is reportedly being protected by a 'Muslim gang'

Sara Sharif's father protected by 'Muslim gang' in jail after being attacked with jagged tuna lid

Zhenhao Zou is accused of raping three women in London and 7 in China, whilst they were unconscious

PhD student 'discussed rape role-play' with alleged victim, trial hears

Exclusive
Senior Tories including Suella Braverman and Michael Gove have criticised the judge's comments

Senior Tories blast 'out of touch' judge for 'ludicrous attack' on Starmer’s migrant remarks

Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, died in an airstrike, Hamas said

Bodies of youngest Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas and his brother and mother to be handed over as family ‘in turmoil’

Lisa Smith, 43, was with a female friend when she was killed outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt, Kent

Man suspected of fatally shooting wife outside pub on Valentine's Day rang friend and said 'she's dead'

Carry On legend Julian Holloway dies aged 80

Carry On legend Julian Holloway dies aged 80 after 'brief illness' as tributes pour in

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned 'any appearance by armed forces under some other flag' in Ukraine would be 'completely unacceptable', in a dig at a peace plan floated by Keir Starmer.

Keir Starmer’s Ukraine peacekeeping plan ‘completely unacceptable’, Russia tells US in Saudi Arabia talks

Rita Lambourne, 58, was “fatally wounded” at her home in Bayencourt South, Bexhill

Man charged with axe murder of woman in own home

Lydia Mugambe is accused of taking 'advantage of her status'

UN judge ‘trafficked woman to UK to be her slave'

Anonymous posters have appeared in Hampstead Heath, a park in north London, calling for gay men to stop using the park for sex.

'Take back Hampstead Heath', dog walkers urged as posters appear calling for men to stop using park for sex

Gavin Nicholls was tackled to the ground by a plain-clothed officer outside the Co-op in Barnet

Moment serial shoplifter is tackled off e-scooter by police as he flees store in north London