Firstly, let me give apologies on behalf of the Leader of the
Opposition – who is on a long-planned visit to meet political
leaders in Northern Ireland.
Mr Speaker, this is a profound moment for more than 150,000 UK
personnel who have served in Afghanistan during the last 20
years, including my Honourable Friends the Members for Barnsley
Central and Norwich South, among others in this House.
My own brother too served in the British Army during this period,
so I know how it feels to say goodbye to a loved one before a
tour of duty.
Thankfully, I do not know how it feels to not see your loved one
come home again, and the pain that those families have gone
through is unimaginable.
Hundreds of young British men and women lost their lives in the
service of our country.
Many more were wounded or injured and still suffer the physical
and emotional scars.
They have shown extraordinary bravery, skill and courage.
So today, Mr Speaker, to everyone who served in Afghanistan, and
to all that loved and supported them: we say thank you.
There have been moments of huge difficulty in the last two
decades.
And the situation on the ground in Afghanistan today is more
concerning than at any point in many years.
That must not take away from the many positives our engagement
has brought to Afghanistan and the real difference our services
and development sector have made in a country that has suffered
so much.
We have supported improvements: in security, in governance, in
economic development and in advancing the rights of women and
education for girls.
Yet these gains have not been secured.
The Taliban are making gains on the ground.
Serious questions remain about the future stability of
Afghanistan.
A security threat remains to the wider world including the UK.
Nobody wants to see British troops permanently stationed in
Afghanistan.
But if we simply wash our hands and walk away, it is hard to see
a future without bloodier conflict and wider Taliban control.
Already, they are on the brink of gaining control of provincial
capitals. Afghan security forces risk being overwhelmed.
This spells jeopardy for the Afghan people, particularly for
Afghan women and girls, who in a just world would have the same
rights as women everywhere deserve.
In the words of the Prime Minister himself, this is a situation
“fraught with risk”.
Can he tell us if he argued for or against the withdrawal with
the US Government and in NATO, and what other steps he proposed?
British troops made enormous sacrifices.
We believe that as a nation we have a responsibility to our
veterans.
Can the Prime Minister really tell them that our work as a nation
in Afghanistan is done? That their efforts will not have been in
vain?
On their behalf, Mr Speaker, I ask the Prime Minister:
What plans are now in place to ensure that Afghanistan does not
become a failed state and a breeding ground for those that wish
to oppress their own citizens and threaten ours? What additional
threat does our country now face?
What diplomatic plans will be in place in the region to support
the peace process? Is the UK government engaging with the
Government of Pakistan about its role? Will the UK Embassy in
Kabul remain? And how will UK staff there be kept safe?
Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
Yet our aid funding to that country is to be cut by more than the
hundred million pounds he referred to today. One UK-funded
project for 6,000 women has already been cancelled. When he
visited Kabul as Foreign Secretary, he said that girl’s education
was our “crowning achievement” in Afghanistan. So can the Prime
Minister tell the House what impact his cuts will have on
programmes there, and will he not think again?
Mr Speaker, I reiterate that we all want to see the end of UK
military operations in Afghanistan.
But if we leave without putting a plan in place to ensure
Afghanistan does not go back to the conflict and violence of the
past then we will have failed those who have given so much over
the last 20 years.
Building and maintaining the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan,
protecting women and girls, and in turn protecting our own
nation, should always be our priority.
To honour the legacy of those that served and the lives that were
lost, let’s make sure we get this right.
