PM to use ‘every economic, political and diplomatic lever’ to help Afghans left behind by UK
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.
Both Mr Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have faced criticism over the withdrawal of British forces from the country following the rapid takeover by the Taliban.
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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.
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.
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”.
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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.
Politics
University tuition fee rise branded ‘morally wrong’ – as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson defends increase
The education secretary has said no decision has been made on whether university tuition fees will increase with inflation each year.
Bridget Phillipson has announced the maximum cap on tuition fees in England will go up in line with inflation from April 2025.
The cost of tuition will increase by £285 to £9,535 next year – the first rise in eight years.
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There will also be a rise in maximum maintenance loans to increase in line with inflation, giving an increase of £414 a year to help students with living costs.
However, the education secretary did not say if the rise would continue after that.
Speaking to Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Ms Phillipson admitted she did not know what would happen with tuition fees after April 2026.
“We’re going to look at this and the maintenance support and the sector overall as part of the reform that we intend to set out in the months to come,” she said.
“So no decision, no decision has been taken on what happens beyond this.”
She said the government will be looking at “what is required… to get our universities on a more sustainable footing… but also to deliver a better deal for students as a part of that”.
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University tuition fees to increase
The minister said she also “intends to look at” uprating the threshold at which students need to start paying tuition fees back in line with inflation.
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said the tuition fee rise was “economically and morally wrong”.
She said: “Taking more money from debt-ridden students and handing it to overpaid underperforming vice-chancellors is ill conceived and won’t come close to addressing the sector’s core issues.”
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The National Union of Students (NUS) said students were being asked to “foot the bill” to keep the lights and heating on in their universities and to prevent their courses from closing down amid the “crisis”.
Alex Stanley, vice president for higher education of the NUS, said: “This is, and can only ever be, a sticking plaster.
“Universities cannot continue to be funded by an ever-increasing burden of debt on students.”
Universities have been making up for fees being frozen since 2017/18 by taking in international students who pay more.
However, student visa numbers have fallen after the previous government made it more difficult for them to come to the UK recently, so universities can no longer rely on the fees.
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Dame Priti Patel has made a comeback as Kemi Badenoch has appointed her shadow foreign secretary, Sky News understands.
Ms Badenoch, who became Conservative leader on Saturday, started officially appointing her shadow cabinet on Sunday evening.
Politics latest: Reaction as Badenoch makes more shadow cabinet appointments
On Monday afternoon, the two biggest jobs were confirmed, with former home secretary Ms Patel being given the shadow foreign secretary role.
Former shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, who ran in the Tory leadership race and is considered more of a moderate than Ms Badenoch, has been made shadow chancellor.
Robert Jenrick, who lost out to Ms Badenoch, is the new shadow justice secretary, sources told Sky News.
Earlier in the day, Laura Trott, who served as chief secretary to the Treasury under Rishi Sunak, was appointed shadow education secretary.
The new Tory leader made her first appointments on Sunday evening ahead of her new top team meeting for the first time on Tuesday.
Mel Stride was work and pensions secretary and stood to be Tory leader
Now the Conservatives are in opposition, the shadow cabinet’s role is to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government and to offer alternative policies.
Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson, junior ministers under Mr Sunak, were appointed joint chairmen of the Conservative Party.
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The role involves overseeing the party’s headquarters, where staff and committee members have their offices.
Essex MP Dame Rebecca Harris was confirmed as chief whip after the interim chief whip Stuart Andrew said she was replacing him.
She will be responsible for ensuring Tory MPs attend and vote in parliament as the party leadership desires.
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Badenoch: ‘We let standards slip’
Former foreign secretary James Cleverly, who came third in the leadership race, said on Friday he would not be joining Ms Badenoch’s top team.
Ex-prime minister Mr Sunak, his former deputy Sir Oliver Dowden, ex-chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former Brexit, health, and environment secretary Steve Barclay have all said they will be joining him on the backbenches.
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