Parliament to be recalled next week over Afghanistan crisis – as PM calls another emergency Cobra meeting

Published

4 years ago

August 15, 2021

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Parliament will be recalled next week over the situation in Afghanistan, as the prime minister called a second emergency Cobra meeting later this afternoon to discuss the crisis.

MPs will return to Westminster on Wednesday to debate the government’s response to the crisis, with Taliban fighters having entered the capital Kabul after a lightning advance through the country.

Live updates on Afghanistan as government promises peaceful transition of power

The session will begin at 9.30am and will end at 2.30pm, while peers in the Lords will sit from 11am.

According to Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates, Conservative MPs have been told that there will be no virtual participation and while they are encouraged to return to Westminster, there will not be a three-line whip requiring them to do so.

MPs broke up for their summer recess on 22 July and had not been due to return until 6 September.

Calls for MPs to return to Westminster have been growing in recent days as the Taliban continues to make gains amid the withdrawal of US, UK and NATO troops.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was among those calling for such a move, saying earlier on Sunday: “The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour.

“The immediate priority now must be to get all British personnel and support staff safely out of Kabul.

“The government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses, which let’s be clear will have ramifications for us here in the UK.

Analysis by Nick Martin, political correspondent

MPs returning to parliament three weeks early – cutting short the summer recess – is a sign of a deepening crisis for the UK government.

There are still thought to be thousands of British nationals in the Afghan capital and the pace of the Taliban advance has put them in greater risk.

An unpredictable force with a lethal track record are closing in and time is running out to get them to safety.

Downing Street sources say parliament will be recalled next week and that means MPs will be able to debate the situation.

Expect the prime minister to make a statement to the house. We could hear from the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

It’s likely that the leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer will press the government for more details on Britain’s involvement.

He said on Sunday: “We need parliament recalled so the government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists whose purpose will be to threaten our interests, values and national security.”

The Lib Dem leader Ed Davey added: “The prime minister should call in all political parties and ensure that we respond with unity and purpose.”

Parliament went into recess on 22 July and wasn’t expected to return until September. It would be unfathomable to allow recess to continue given the escalation in Afghanistan.

The prime minister chaired a meeting of COBRA, the government’s emergency committee on Friday.

Now 600 troops are already on their way to the region.

Events are moving fast.

“We need parliament recalled so the government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists whose purpose will be to threaten our interests, values and national security.”

Reacting to news of the recall, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News it was “extremely good news” but urged the government to act in the meantime to ensure Britons and those who have helped the UK in Afghanistan are transported out of the country.

“I suspect that this has taken so long because the government doesn’t have a clear strategy to deal with this,” she said.

“That’s what we need to hear from the prime minister this week. We need to hear that imminently.”

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, another supporter of the recall, told Sky News: “I think many people will be asking what this has been for.

“There are questions that now need to be asked about the next steps. What do we do to try and give humanitarian support to those that need it.

“Many will have concerns about a potential breeding ground for terrorism and, I hate to say it, repeating some of the problems of the past.”

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, also backed calls for a recall of parliament.

He has urged Boris Johnson to hold a “crisis meeting” with party leaders “given the tragedy unfolding before our eyes and the grave threat to national security this raises”.

“It is without doubt that we face a crucial point in history and, as a nation, we must act together before it is too late,” he said.

But Rory Stewart, a Conservative former international development secretary, said he found it “very difficult to understand, I’m afraid, how this will help at this stage”.

“The focus now needs to be on refugees, and humanitarian and development assistance for the fall-out from this tragedy,” he said.

The UK is currently evacuating British nationals and local translators – with 600 troops being sent to assist with this effort.

The Home Office said it is working to “protect British nationals and help former UK staff and other eligible people travel to the UK”.

“The Home Office has already resettled over 3,300 Afghan staff and their families who have worked for the UK,” it said in a statement.

“We will continue to fulfil our international obligations and moral commitments.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK had “reduced” its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, “but our ambassador remains in Kabul and UK government staff continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to our Afghan staff”.

They added: “We are doing all we can to enable remaining British nationals, who want to leave Afghanistan, to do so.”

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow is going to be flown out of the country by tonight.

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who is chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was “quite clear that the battle for Afghanistan is now lost”.

“It’s been an abject defeat and the United States and United Kingdom have been routed,” he told Sky News.

“This is pretty stunning, frankly.

“It was a decision we took to withdraw and to announce that we wouldn’t be willing to fight, so perhaps it’s hardly surprising.

“What we’re now seeing is what we fought 20 years to stop, which is a Taliban victory in Afghanistan.”

The prime minister said on Friday that Britain’s sacrifices in the country were not “in vain” and that the “vast bulk” of British citizens in Afghanistan will be brought back over the “next few days”.

Politics

Building societies step up protest against Reeves’s cash ISA reforms

Published

5 hours ago

July 7, 2025

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Building societies step up protest against Reeves's cash ISA reforms

Building society chiefs will this week intensify their protests against the chancellor’s plans to cut cash ISA limits by warning that it will push up borrowing costs for homeowners and businesses.

Sky News has obtained the draft of a letter being circulated by the Building Societies Association (BSA) among its members which will demand that Rachel Reeves abandons a proposed move to slash savers’ annual cash ISA allowance from the existing £20,000 threshold.

Money blog: ‘I get paid to taste biscuits’

The draft letter, which is expected to be published this week, warns the chancellor that her decision would deter savers, disrupt Labour’s housebuilding ambitions and potentially present an obstacle to economic growth by triggering higher funding costs.

“Cash ISAs are a cornerstone of personal savings for millions across the UK, helping people from all walks of life to build financial resilience and achieve their savings goals,” the draft letter said.

“Beyond their personal benefits, Cash ISAs play a vital role in the broader economy.

“The funds deposited in these accounts support lending, helping to keep mortgages and loans affordable and accessible.

“Cutting Cash ISA limits would make this funding more scarce which would have the knock-on effect of making loans to households and businesses more expensive and harder to come by.

“This would undermine efforts to stimulate economic growth, including the government’s commitment to delivering 1.5 million new homes.

“Cutting the Cash ISA limit would send a discouraging message to savers, who are sensibly trying to plan for the future and undermine a product that has stood the test of time.”

The chancellor is reportedly preparing to announce a review of cash ISA limits as part of her Mansion House speech next week.

While individual building society bosses have come out publicly to express their opposition to the move, the BSA letter is likely to be viewed with concern by Treasury officials.

The Nationwide is by far Britain’s biggest building society, with the likes of the Coventry, Yorkshire and Skipton also ranking among the sector’s largest players.

In the draft letter, which is likely to be signed by dozens of building society bosses, the BSA said the chancellor’s proposals “would make the whole ISA regime more complex and make it harder for people to transfer money between cash and investments”.

“Restricting Cash ISAs won’t encourage people to invest, as it won’t suddenly change their appetite to take on risk,” it said.

“We know that barriers to investing are primarily behavioural, therefore building confidence and awareness are far more important.”

The BSA called on Ms Reeves to back “a long-term consumer awareness and information campaign to educate people about the benefits of investing, alongside maintaining strong support for saving”.

“We therefore urge you to affirm your support for Cash ISAs by maintaining the current £20,000 limit.

“Preserving this threshold will enable households to continue building financial security while supporting broader economic stability and growth.”

The BSA declined to comment on Monday on the leaked letter, although one source said the final version was subject to revision.

The Treasury has so far refused to comment on its plans.

Politics

Govt declines to rule out wealth tax after ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock calls for wealth tax

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2025

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Govt declines to rule out wealth tax after ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock calls for wealth tax

The government has declined to rule out a “wealth tax” after former Labour leader Neil Kinnock called for one to help the UK’s dwindling finances.

Lord Kinnock, who was leader from 1983 to 1992, told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that imposing a 2% tax on assets valued above £10 million would bring in up to £11 billion a year.

Politics latest: Reeves’s tax turmoil deepens

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesperson would not say if the government will or will not bring in a specific tax for the wealthiest.

Asked multiple times if the government will do so, he said: “The government is committed to the wealthiest in society paying their share in tax.

“The prime minister has repeatedly said those with the broadest shoulders should carry the largest burden.”

He added the government has closed loopholes for non-doms, placed taxes on private jets and said the 1% wealthiest people in the UK pay one third of taxes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves earlier this year insisted she would not impose a wealth tax in her autumn budget, something she also said in 2023 ahead of Labour winning the election last year.

Asked if her position has changed, Sir Keir’s spokesman referred back to her previous comments and said: “The government position is what I have said it is.”

The previous day, Lord Kinnock told Sky News: “It’s not going to pay the bills, but that kind of levy does two things.

“One is to secure resources, which is very important in revenues.

“But the second thing it does is to say to the country, ‘we are the government of equity’.

“This is a country which is very substantially fed up with the fact that whatever happens in the world, whatever happens in the UK, the same interests come out on top unscathed all the time while everybody else is paying more for getting services.

“Now, I think that a gesture or a substantial gesture in the direction of equity fairness would make a big difference.”

The son of a coal miner, who became a member of the House of Lords in 2005, the Labour peer said asset values have “gone through the roof” in the past 20 years while economies and incomes have stagnated in real terms.

In reference to Chancellor Rachel Reeves refusing to change her fiscal rules, he said the government is giving the appearance it is “bogged down by their own imposed limitations”, which he said is “not actually the accurate picture”.

A wealth tax would help the government get out of that situation and would be backed by the “great majority of the general public”, he added.

His comments came after a bruising week for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had to heavily water down a welfare bill meant to save £5.5bn after dozens of Labour MPs threatened to vote against it.

With those savings lost – and a previous U-turn on cutting winter fuel payments also reducing savings – the chancellor’s £9.9bn fiscal headroom has quickly dwindled.

In a hint of what could come, government minister Stephen Morgan told Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast: “I hold dear the Labour values of making sure those that have the broadest shoulders pay, pay more tax.

“I think that’s absolutely right.”

He added that the government has already put a tax on private jets and on the profits of energy companies.