BoJo Urged to Show 'Shred of Leadership', Sack Raab Over ‘Shameful’ Afghanistan Response Delays

Dominic Raab has been under fire for failing to personally asking an Afghan counterpart for urgent assistance in evacuating local interpreters who had worked for UK military personnel and were in danger of retaliation from Taliban after the Islamist group has seized control of Afghanistan.

Britain’s Labour Party has called for the resignation of Dominic Raab over his department’s response to the rapid takeover of control in Afghanistan by the Taliban*.

The UK Foreign Secretary has been under fire after it emerged that while on holiday, he had delegated a purportedly crucial call to Hanif Atmar, an Afghan counterpart, needed to help local interpreters whose lives were in danger.

Former Afghan interpreters, who worked with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, demonstrate in front of the U.S. embassy in Kabul June 25, 2021.

© REUTERS / STRINGER

While acknowledging that it was important the call were made by Raab, officials were reportedly told he was unavailable and that Lord Goldsmith, the Foreign Office minister on duty, could make the call instead.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: “The foreign secretary was engaged on a range of other calls and this one was delegated to another minister.”

Slamming Raab for his decision to return from the beach holiday amid the fast-deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan only on Sunday, when Taliban had seized the capital, Kabul, Labour leader Keir Starmer said he “should be ashamed” of his actions.

In a tweet, Starmer queried who would fail to make a phone call “if they were told it could save somebody’s life?”

Who wouldn't make a phone call if they were told it could save somebody's life?https://t.co/6AtN224ItS

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 19, 2021

Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy echoed the stance, saying that "not picking up the phone to the Afghan foreign minister seems to me to be absolutely shameful on the government's part".

“How can Boris Johnson allow the foreign secretary to continue in his role after yet another catastrophic failure of judgment? If Dominic Raab doesn’t have the decency to resign, the prime minister must show a shred of leadership and sack him,” said Nandy.

This is a dereliction of duty.

Failing to make a call has put the lives of brave interpreters at risk, after they served so bravely with our military.

Utterly shameful. https://t.co/7keFGOI89H

— Nick Thomas-Symonds MP (@NickTorfaen) August 18, 2021

​Labour’s home affairs spokesperson, Nick Thomas-Symonds, went on twitter to slam Raab for a “dereliction of duty.

Raab could not find moral compass - lost in the sand - on a beach in Crete: "Failing to make a call has put the lives of brave interpreters at risk, after they served so bravely with our military. Utterly shameful." https://t.co/asBNH6H1yf

— Peter Kay (@theonlypeterkay) August 19, 2021

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said Raab’s position was “completely untenable and he must resign, or be sacked”.

Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021.

© AP Photo / Shekib Rahmani

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace defended Dominic Raab on Thursday, cited by Sky News as saying that "one phone call is not the reason we are where we are", in a reference to the situation in Afghanistan.
Downing Street was cited as saying they have "full confidence" in Raab.

When the Foreign Secretary was asked by reporters on Thursday morning if he intended to step down amid the backlash, Raab replied: "No."

 

*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries.