Report on the situation in Afghanistan and support for refugees.
Like many of you I have been shocked and saddened by the situation in Afghanistan.
My office has been working with other MPs to support people who have become stranded in Afghanistan to come to the UK. I believe we have a moral duty to support those who supported British military personnel overseas.
I am greatly disappointed by the actions of Boris Johnson & Dominic Raab throughout this crisis. I believe this has been a catastrophic set back for the so-called ‘Global Britain’.
Dear Constituent,
The events in Afghanistan these past few weeks have been shocking and deeply saddening. The Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan exposed the staggering complacency from our Government, and those of our allies, about the Taliban threat.
We now face the tragic rollback of the gains that UK soldiers, diplomats and NGO workers, and their coalition and Afghan partners, worked so hard for over 20 years.
Following the end of military evacuations from Afghanistan through Kabul airport, the Government should now support the safe evacuation of the British nationals and Afghans who have been left behind, something that would not have been needed had the evacuation (or, in my preference, drawn down to a minimum but ongoing presence to support the previous Afghan government) been executed properly.
The Government has announced a new Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) but few details have been confirmed. What we do know is that the ACRS will resettle Afghan nationals who have been forced to flee their home or face threats of persecution from the Taliban. The Government has also said that it will take a total of 20,000 Afghan nationals “in the long term”, with 5,000 expected to be resettled in its first year of operation.
I do not believe this meets the scale of the challenge. For those who desperately need our help now there is no long term, just day-to-day survival. The ACRS must be generous and welcoming. If it is not, we know the consequences: violent reprisals in Afghanistan; people fleeing into the arms of human traffickers; and more people risking and losing their lives on unsafe journeys including across the English Channel.
The new reality in Afghanistan demands the widest coordinated international approach in dealing with the Taliban. Global leaders should agree a coordinated humanitarian response, collective help for refugees and work to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and diplomats remaining in Afghanistan, while doing all possible to try to protect the gains made in the last 20 years on human rights, girls’ education and counter-terrorism.
I spoke in the recall of Parliament during August on this issue. You can watch my contribution here.
My thoughts are with the Afghan people at this time and the many families who continue to be affected. My staff and I continue to help those constituent families who are affected as best as we can.
I will continue to follow developments in Afghanistan, and the Government’s response, closely.
Yours sincerely,
Darren