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The minister for Afghanistan was also on holiday last week as Kabul fell, Sky News has learnt.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the minister of state directly responsible for South Asia, was on leave until Sunday, the day the Taliban marched into the Afghan capital.

The Conservative peer has been in his post for four years. He has been in regular contact with the Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar over the past year as peace talks were under way in Doha between the Taliban and Afghan government.

Lord Ahmad (right) has been in regular contact with the Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar since he took the post in 2017
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Lord Ahmad (right) has been in regular contact with the Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar since he took the post in 2017

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has faced calls to resign for failing to make a call to Mr Atmar on Friday, while on holiday in Crete, which critics say could have been used to seek help for Afghan interpreters.

But it is understood that while Lord Ahmad was on a staycation in the UK and in contact with officials as the Afghanistan crisis rapidly deepened, he was not asked to make the call to Mr Atmar on Friday, and was not told about it.

It was delegated to Lord Goldsmith – who covers the Pacific and splits his time with the Environment department.

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The Foreign Office has confirmed the call never took place, leading to fierce criticism.

An Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “Lord Ahmad has been working closely with the foreign secretary and the FCDO team throughout the response to events in Afghanistan, including engaging with international partners.”

Dominic Raab, leaving Downing Street, central London following a meeting, as he has rejected calls to quit as Foreign Secretary after opposition leaders demanded he be sacked for failing to make a call to help translators flee Afghanistan. Picture date: Thursday August 19, 2021.
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There have been calls for Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to resign

Lord Ahmad has been back at his desk since Monday working on the evacuation, a source said.

He is understood to have spent part of his holiday working on cases raised by parliamentarians of those trapped in Afghanistan.

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‘Utterly horrendous’: People ‘crushed’ at Kabul airport

Speaking in the House of Lords debate on Wednesday – held at the same time as the Commons debate – he said he was doing all he could to bring British nationals back.

A government source told Sky News contingency plans for the evacuation – known as Operation Pitting – had been readied for months, and that Afghanistan was “teetering on the brink for months, no one knew if it would come now, or in a few months’ time”.

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Cabinet colleagues have defended Mr Raab saying the Afghan government was “melting quicker than ice” and a call would have made little difference.

Conservatives have privately been critical of the Foreign Office response, one minister calling it a “shambles”. But some in government say the foreign secretary is “hardworking” and has been a “lightning rod for MPs anger with the Americans”.

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Another tantrum from the Labour backbenches is inevitable

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

In common with many parents across the country, here’s a conversation that I have with my young daughter on a semi-regular basis (bear with me, this will take on some political relevance eventually).

Me: “So it’s 15 minutes until your bedtime, you can either have a little bit of TV or do a jigsaw, not both.”

Daughter: “Ummmm, I want to watch TV.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s bed after that, you can’t do a jigsaw as well.”

Fast-forward 15 minutes.

Me: “Right, TV off now please, bedtime.”

(Pause)

Daughter: “I want to do a jigsaw.”

Now replace me with the government, the TV and jigsaw options with axing welfare cuts and scrapping the two-child cap, and my daughter with rebellious backbenchers.

Politics latest: Former Labour leader calls for wealth tax on assets above £10m

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Rachel Reeves’s fiscal dilemma

That is the tension currently present between Downing Street and Labour MPs. And my initial ultimatum is the messaging being pumped out from the government this weekend.

In essence: you’ve had your welfare U-turn, so there’s no money left for the two-child cap to go as well.

As an aside – and before my inbox fills with angry emails lambasting me for using such a crude metaphor for policies that fundamentally alter the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society – yes, I hear you, and that’s part of my point.

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Welfare U-turn ‘has come at cost’

For many in Labour, this approach feels like the lives of their constituents are being used in a childish game of horse-trading.

So what can be done?

Well, the government could change the rules.

Altering the fiscal rules is – and will likely remain – an extremely unlikely solution. But as it happens, one of Labour’s proverbial grandparents has just popped round with a different suggestion.

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Welfare: ‘Didn’t get process right’ – PM

A wealth tax, Lord Neil Kinnock says, is the necessary outcome of the economic restrictions the party has placed on itself.

Ever the Labour storyteller, Lord Kinnock believes this would allow the government to craft a more compelling narrative about whose side this administration is on.

That could be valuable, given one of the big gripes from many backbench critics is that they still don’t really understand what this prime minister stands for – and by extension, what all these “difficult decisions” are in aid of.

The downside is whether it will actually raise much money.

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Is Corbyn an existential risk to Labour?

The super-rich may have lots of assets to take a slice from, but they also have expensive lawyers ready to find novel ways to keep their client’s cash away from the prying eyes of the state.

Or, of course, they could just leave – as many are doing already.

In the short term, the future is a bit easier to predict.

If Downing Street is indeed now saying there is no money to scrap the two-child cap (after heavy briefing in the opposite direction just weeks ago), an almighty tantrum from the backbenches is inevitable.

And as every parent knows, the more you give in, the harder it becomes to hold the line.

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UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

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UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy shakes hands with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy
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Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

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Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

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From May: Trump says US will end sanctions for Syria

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

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Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.

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