PM pays tribute to ‘heroic’ British troops – as plans revealed to help Afghan evacuees settle in UK

Published

4 years ago

August 28, 2021

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Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the “heroic efforts” of British troops and officials involved in evacuation efforts in Kabul – as the government unveiled plans to help Afghans settle in the UK.

The prime minister has written to the armed forces community to thank them for their role in Operation Pitting, which has seen thousands of people flown out of Afghanistan‘s capital following the Taliban’s takeover.

Afghans who have been brought to the UK will now be the focus of Operation Warm Welcome, which promises to provide support with health, education, employment, and accommodation to help them “fully integrate into society”.

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Mr Johnson told those involved in the evacuations that they “should feel immense pride” for what they have done, including previous efforts as part of Britain’s 20-year Afghan campaign.

“Your efforts in difficult and hostile circumstances have seen the evacuation of thousands of British nationals alongside Afghans who worked with us, and who will now start new lives in the UK,” he said.

“I know that the events of recent weeks will have been hard for the armed forces community to watch unfold.

“Over the last two decades, many thousands of you dedicated years of your lives to service in Afghanistan, often in the most arduous conditions. In particular, I realise that this will be an especially difficult time for the friends and loved ones of the 457 service personnel who laid down their lives.

“So I want to take this opportunity to offer my profound thanks for everything you did and to say without hesitation that you should take the greatest pride in your achievements.”

The government has come under heavy criticism from Afghan veterans on its own backbenches since the Taliban completed its takeover of Kabul earlier this month.

Some have questioned whether the collapse of the Afghan government rendered the efforts worthless, with question marks over whether human rights gains since 2001 – notably for women and girls – will now be reversed.

But a defiant PM said: “Our purpose in Afghanistan was simple – to protect the United Kingdom from harm – and you succeeded in that central mission.

“In the last 20 years, not a single terrorist attack has been launched from Afghan soil against the UK or any other Western country.”

The prime minister said millions of Afghan girls had received an education thanks to the efforts of Western troops, and that no such gains “could swiftly be undone”.

“Whether you are still serving or a veteran, a loved-one, a relation or a friend, you all played your part and you should feel immense pride,” he added.

Analysis by Rob Powell, political correspondent

Boris Johnson is putting on something of a brave face when he speaks about the record of the UK in Afghanistan.

There can be no doubting the heroic efforts of troops working in the country over the last two weeks and two decades.

But serious questions of competence and strategy hang over the UK government.

Potentially the most pressing of these relate to the hundreds of people who were eligible for evacuation but – as the last UK troops pull out – still remain in Afghanistan.

Was enough done by the government to get them processed and into the airport? What chance do they now have of leaving the country as the Taliban takes full control and the UK’s diplomatic presence moves out?

Then there are the broader questions of strategy.

Boris Johnson points to what he sees as victories from the 20-year campaign: a degrading of the terror threat to the UK, education for women and infrastructure improvements.

But can the UK now genuinely “preserve the gains of the last 20 years and give the Afghan people the future they deserve”, as the prime minister has claimed this evening?

Many in his own party think not.

Conservative MP and Afghanistan veteran Tom Tugendhat today called the UK withdrawal a “national tragedy” and “shameful moment”.

It’s not hard to see why many believe any victories from Afghanistan are ultimately swamped by the defeats.

Troops who require support will be able to call upon the NHS Op Courage service, along with existing aid within their respective service.

Help for the Afghans arriving in the UK will be provided through plans dubbed Operation Warm Welcome.

It will be overseen by a new dedicated minister for Afghan resettlement: Victoria Atkins.

The plans include the creation of a central portal where people, organisations and businesses can register offers of support through volunteering, jobs, skills training, donations.

Free English language courses will also be provided in recognition that many of the dependents of former staff and Afghan translators may need this.

The PM said: “For those who have left their homes with no more than a small bag of belongings, and in fear for their lives, coming to the UK will no doubt have been a daunting experience, but also one of hope for the future.”

He added: “We will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us, at great risk to themselves. We owe them, and their families, a huge debt.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel added: “This week we have all seen the relief on the faces of those who have made it from Afghanistan to safety here in the UK.

“Our message to those who have already arrived, welcome – we are glad you are here and you will be treasured members of our communities.”

Full details of Operation Warm Welcome will be set out next week and build on existing commitments, which include £5m for local councils for housing support and the offer of a COVID vaccine for all arrivals.

Politics

US SEC’s Crenshaw takes aim at crypto in final weeks at the agency

Published

3 hours ago

December 11, 2025

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US SEC's Crenshaw takes aim at crypto in final weeks at the agency

SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, expected to leave the agency in less than a month, used one of her final public speaking engagements to address the regulator’s response to digital assets.

Speaking at a Brookings Institution event on Thursday, Crenshaw said standards at the SEC had “eroded” in the last year, with “markets [starting] to look like casinos,” and “chaos” as the agency dismissed many years-long enforcement cases, reduced civil penalties and filed fewer actions overall.

The commissioner, expected to depart in January after her term officially ended in June 2024, also criticized many crypto users and the agency’s response to the markets.

Cryptocurrencies, Politics, SEC, Policies, Enforcement — *SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw speaking at a Brookings Institution event on Thursday. Source:* *Brookings*

“People invest in crypto because they see some others getting rich overnight,” said Crenshaw. “Less visible are the more common stories of people losing their shirts. One thing that consistently puzzles me about crypto is what are cryptocurrency prices based on? Many, but not all, crypto purchasers are not trading based on economic fundamentals.”

She added:

“I think it’s safe to say [crypto purchasers are] speculating, reacting to hysteria from promoters, feeding a desire to gamble, wash trading to push up prices, or, as one Nobel laureate has posited, ‘betting on the popularity of the politicians who support or stand to benefit from the success of crypto.’”

In contrast to Crenshaw’s remarks, SEC Chair Paul Atkins, Commissioner Hester Peirce and Commissioner Mark Uyeda have all publicly expressed their support for the agency’s approach to digital assets and the Trump administration’s direction of policy.

Peirce and Atkins spoke at a Blockchain Association Policy Summit this week to discuss crypto regulation and a path forward on market structure under consideration in the Senate.

During the Thursday event’s question-and-answer session, Crenshaw expanded on her views of crypto, stating that it was a “tiny piece of the market,” and suggested that the SEC focus on other regulatory concerns. In addition, she expressed concern that the agency was heading toward giving crypto companies an exception from policies that applied to traditional finance.

“I do worry that as the crypto rules are perhaps implemented, or perhaps we just put out more guidance […] where we say they are not securities, where we loosen the basic fundamentals of the securities laws so that they can operate in our system, but without any of the guardrails that we have in place. I do worry that that can lead to more significant market contagion,” said Crenshaw.

The final throes of bipartisan financial regulators under Trump?

The departure of Crenshaw would leave the SEC with three Republican commissioners, two of whom were nominated by US President Donald Trump. As of Thursday, Trump had not made any announcements signaling that he ever planned to nominate another Democrat to the SEC, and Crenshaw said the agency’s staff had been reduced by about 20% in the last year.