Boris Johnson will tell MPs that he will use “every economic, political and diplomatic lever” to help Afghans left behind by the British as he looks to defend his handling of the withdrawal from the country.
The prime minister will reiterate the pledge in the House of Commons on Monday, when parliament returns from its summer recess to examine the crisis in Afghanistan.
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Fears of civil war in Afghanistan
Thousands of Afghans who worked with or assisted foreign forces, their families and other vulnerable groups are thought to have been left behind when troops left the country for good last month.
There are also warnings that the UK could be facing a raised terror threat if extremism is allowed to grow again under the Taliban.
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In a week marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York, which was one of the turning points in the war on terror, and led to troops entering Afghanistan, Mr Johnson will say he will “use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to protect our country from harm and help the Afghan people”.
He is also expected to reveal details about the new resettlement programme for Afghans coming to the UK in the coming years.
More on Afghanistan
As well as that, he will also use his speech to thank the 150,000 British servicemen and women for their work in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.
Downing Street has said that prime minister will also announce £5 million more in funds to help military charities support veterans’ mental health, with the aim of ensuring that “no veteran’s request for help will go unanswered”.
Mr Johnson will be facing MPs for the first time since parliament was recalled to debate for the day on 18 August in the wake of Kabul’s fall.
Head of the armed forces Sir Nick Carter said on Sunday that “everybody got it wrong about the pace of the Taliban’s march recapture of Afghanistan” but added there was not a failure in military intelligence.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he said: “The first scenario I think also would’ve said is it was entirely possible that the (Afghan) government wouldn’t hold on that much longer.
“Indeed, many of the assessments suggested it wouldn’t last the course of the year and, of course, that’s proven to be correct.”
Mr Raab was holidaying in Crete when Kabul fell, and previously argued that it was the assessment of the military and the wider intelligence community that it was “unlikely” that “Kabul would fall this year”.
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‘Serious mistakes’ made in Afghanistan
Sir Nick said “there’s been a lot of talk about a failure of intelligence” but that he said back in July that “there are a number of scenarios that could play out and one of them certainly would be a collapse and state fracture”.
Among those evacuated from Kabul by the British forces include more than 8,000 former Afghan staff and their families.
However, around 1,100 Afghans that were deemed eligible to leave were thought to be left behind – but that figure will fall short of the actual number the UK wants to help.
Emmanuel Macron has said the UK and France have a “shared responsibility” to tackle the “burden” of illegal migration, as he urged co-operation between London and Paris ahead of a crunch summit later this week.
Addressing parliament in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday, the French president said the UK-France summit would bring “cooperation and tangible results” regarding the small boats crisis in the Channel.
Image: King Charles III at the State Banquet for President of France Emmanuel Macron. Pic: PA
Mr Macron – who is the first European leader to make a state visit to the UK since Brexit – told the audience that while migrants’ “hope for a better life elsewhere is legitimate”, “we cannot allow our countries’ rules for taking in people to be flouted and criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals with so little respect for human life”.
“France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness,” he added.
Looking ahead to the UK-France summit on Thursday, he promised the “best ever cooperation” between France and the UK “to fix today what is a burden for our two countries”.
Sir Keir Starmer will hope to reach a deal with his French counterpart on a “one in, one out” migrant returns deal at the key summit on Thursday.
King Charles also addressed the delegations at a state banquet in Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening, saying the summit would “deepen our alliance and broaden our partnerships still further”.
Image: King Charles speaking at state banquet welcoming Macron.
Sitting next to President Macron, the monarch said: “Our armed forces will cooperate even more closely across the world, including to support Ukraine as we join together in leading a coalition of the willing in defence of liberty and freedom from oppression. In other words, in defence of our shared values.”
In April, British officials confirmed a pilot scheme was being considered to deport migrants who cross the English Channel in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in France with legitimate claims.
The two countries have engaged in talks about a one-for-one swap, enabling undocumented asylum seekers who have reached the UK by small boat to be returned to France.
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Britain would then receive migrants from France who would have a right to be in the UK, like those who already have family settled here.
The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.
Image: President Macron greets Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at his address to parliament in Westminster.
Elsewhere in his speech, the French president addressed Brexit, and said the UK could not “stay on the sidelines” despite its departure from the European Union.
He said European countries had to break away from economic dependence on the US and China.
“Our two countries are among the oldest sovereign nations in Europe, and sovereignty means a lot to both of us, and everything I referred to was about sovereignty, deciding for ourselves, choosing our technologies, our economy, deciding our diplomacy, and deciding the content we want to share and the ideas we want to share, and the controversies we want to share.
“Even though it is not part of the European Union, the United Kingdom cannot stay on the sidelines because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy – the very core of our identity – are connected across Europe as a continent.”