PM urges world leaders to stand by Afghan people – as Biden to decide on deadline extension in next 24 hours

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2021

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Boris Johnson is urging President Joe Biden and other world leaders to stand by the Afghan people and not walk away, amid fears that the Taliban is plotting vicious reprisals.

The prime minister is chairing a video-link summit of G7 leaders and calling for a boost in international support for refugees and humanitarian aid after the withdrawal of US troops.

It comes as the Ministry of Defence said the UK has evacuated more than 7,000 people from Afghanistan as part of its rescue mission.

The total of 7,109 includes embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) programme, and a number of nationals from partner nations.

The summit – just a week before Mr Biden’s controversial 31 August pull-out deadline – is being seen as the last hope of persuading the president to back down and allow more evacuations.

“Our first priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have assisted our efforts over the last 20 years,” Mr Johnson said ahead of the summit.

“But as we look ahead to the next phase, it’s vital we come together as an international community and agree a joint approach for the longer term.

“That’s why I’ve called an emergency meeting of the G7 – to coordinate our response to the immediate crisis, to reaffirm our commitment to the Afghan people and to ask our international partners to match the UK’s commitments to support those in need.

“Together with our partners and allies, we will continue to use every humanitarian and diplomatic lever to safeguard human rights and protect the gains made over the last two decades.”

And after the Taliban told Sky News delaying the withdrawal of US troops beyond 31 August would “provoke a reaction”, Mr Johnson added: “The Taliban will be judged by their deeds and not their words.”

In a Sky News interview earlier, Taliban spokesman Dr Suhail Shaheen said: “It’s a red line. If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.”

After chairing a meeting of COBRA on Monday afternoon, at which ministers discussed the latest situation on the ground, the prime minister spoke again to the president ahead of the G7 summit.

Downing Street said they spoke of co-ordinating the “rapid and safe evacuation” from Kabul International Airport of UK and US nationals and those who worked with the two governments.

And in a signal that the 31 August deadline will not be extended, they spoke about continuing to work together to ensures those eligible to leave are able to, “including after the initial phase of the evacuation has ended”.

Downing Street also said the PM will urge G7 leaders to match the UK’s commitments on aid and the resettlement of those most in need, in order to protect human rights and contribute to the stability of the region.

Number 10 said the leaders will reiterate their commitment to safeguarding the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, in particular on girls’ education and the rights of women and minorities.

As well as evacuation, the agenda will also include longer-term work to secure a more stable future for Afghanistan and ensure any new government is inclusive and abides by its international obligations, No 10 added.

As well as the leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan, the NATO and UN secretaries-general have also been invited to join the discussion, Downing Street said.

The prime minister has already set out a five point plan for addressing the risk of humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan:

• Immediately helping those to whom the UK has direct obligations
• Protecting ourselves against any threat from terrorism
• Supporting Afghan people in the region through humanitarian and development assistance
• Creating safe and legal routes to resettle Afghans in need
• Developing a clear plan for dealing with the new Afghan regime in a unified and concerted way

Meanwhile, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the minister of state directly responsible for South Asia, will virtually address the UN Human Rights Council and will hold talks with humanitarian partners about Afghanistan.

But Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said ahead of the meeting: “This virtual G7 meeting is a make or break test of the prime minister’s ability to bring together international partners, rise to the occasion and show leadership.

“The UK must step up and demand three crucial outcomes. First, that as many people as possible have safe passage out of Afghanistan by prioritising efforts to extend the air bridge out of Kabul beyond 31 August.

“Second, global agreement to deal with the unfolding refugee crisis by working with neighbouring countries to keep land borders open.

“And third, a strategy for supporting those who will be left behind.

“The G7 must agree a joint strategy to safeguard our collective security and guarantee Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for terrorist organisations that pose a threat to the UK.

“The prime minister has had eighteen months to plan for this – the world’s eyes are on tomorrow’s meeting to make the next seven days count.”

The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Our brave soldiers at Kabul airport are protecting Afghans and UK nationals from not just the Taliban, but the threat of terrorist attacks too.

“So at the G7, the challenge for the prime minister is this: will the United Kingdom be at the forefront of a concerted global effort to keep our citizens safe and stop a new terror threat from reaching our shores?

“It is also vital that those Afghans who cannot make it to Kabul airport are nonetheless supported in their attempts to leave the country.

“The prime minister has the opportunity to put safe passage for refugees on the global agenda.

“If we cannot evacuate Afghans, the least we can do is work with the international community – especially neighbouring countries such as Pakistan – and use every diplomatic lever possible to try and secure a safe route out of the country for those who wish to flee the Taliban.”

Politics

Prediction markets bet on Coinbase-linked Hassett as top Fed pick

Published

8 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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Prediction markets bet on Coinbase-linked Hassett as top Fed pick

Prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi view Kevin Hassett, US President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council director, as the favorite to replace Jerome Powell as the next Federal Reserve chair.

The odds of Hassett filling the seat have spiked to 66% on Polymarket and 74% on Kalshi at the time of writing. Hassett is widely viewed as crypto‑friendly thanks to his past role on Coinbase’s advisory council, a disclosed seven‑figure stake in the exchange and his leadership of the White House digital asset working group.

Founder and CEO of Wyoming-based Custodia Bank, and a prominent advocate for crypto-friendly regulations, Caitlin Long, commented on X:

“If this comes true & Hassett does become Fed chairman, anti-#crypto people at the Fed who still hold positions of power will finally be out (well, most of them anyway). BIG changes will be coming to the Fed.”

Kevin Hassett’s crypto credentials

Hassett is a long-time Republican policy economist who returned to Washington as Trump’s top economic adviser and has now emerged as the market-implied frontrunner to lead the Fed.

His financial disclosure reveals at least a seven‑figure Coinbase stake and compensation for serving on the exchange’s Academic and Regulatory Advisory Council, placing him unusually close to the crypto industry for a potential Fed chair.

Still, crypto has been burned before by reading too much into “crypto‑literate” resumes. Gary Gensler arrived at the Securities and Exchange Commission with MIT blockchain courses under his belt, but went on to preside over a wave of high‑profile enforcement actions, some of which critics branded as “Operation Chokepoint 2.0.”

A Hassett-led Fed might be more open to experimentation and less reflexively hostile to bank‑crypto activity. Still, the institution’s mandate on financial stability means markets should not assume a one‑way bet on deregulation.

Supervision pushback inside the Fed

The Hassett odds have jumped just as the Fed’s own approach to bank supervision has received pushback from veterans like Fed Governor Michael Barr, who earned his reputation as one of Operation Chokepoint 2.0’s key architects.

According to Caitlin Long, while he Barr “was Vice Chairman of Supervision & Regulation he did Warren’s bidding,” and he “has made it clear he will oppose changes made by Trump & his appointees.”

On Nov. 18, the Fed released new Supervisory Operating Principles that shift examiners toward a “risk‑first” framework, directing staff to focus on material safety‑and‑soundness risks rather than procedural or documentation issues.

In a speech the same day, Barr warned that narrowing oversight, weakening ratings frameworks and making it harder to issue enforcement actions or matters requiring attention could leave supervisors slower to act on emerging risks, arguing that gutting those tools may repeat pre‑crisis mistakes.

Days later, in Consumer Affairs Letter 25‑1, the Fed clarified that the new Supervisory Operating Principles do not apply to its Consumer Affairs supervision program (an area under Barr’s committee as a governor).

If prediction markets are right and a crypto‑friendly Hassett inherits this landscape, his Fed would not be writing on a blank slate but stepping into an institution already mid‑pivot on how hard (and where) it leans on banks.