MP, Leader of the Labour Party, responding in the House
of Commons on the situation in Afghanistan, said:
Thank you, Mr Speaker. And thank you to the Prime Minister for
advance copy of his statement.
The heroes on the ground of Operation Pitting are the best of us.
The Ambassador stayed to process every case he could.
Paratroopers lifted people from the crush. Afghan soldiers
continued to serve alongside us to the end. And thousands of
others risked their lives to help others escape.
They faced deadly violence and deliberately engineered chaos with
courage, calm and determination.
Thanks to their remarkable efforts; thousands were evacuated,
British nationals have returned safely to their families, and
Afghans friends are starting a new life here in Britain.
Speaking directly to those who served in Operation Pitting. Thank
you.
Your service deserves recognition and honour. And I hope the
Prime Minster will accept Labour’s proposal to scrap the 30-day
continuous service rule so that medals are awarded for your
bravery.
The entire armed forces and veterans deserve proper support for
mental health.
The new funding announced today is welcome but it is unlikely to
be enough. Previous funding was described as “scandalous” by the
Select Committee and the Office for Veterans Affairs is still
being cut.
All those involved deserve political leadership equal to their
service. But they were let down.
They were let down on strategy. The Prime Minister underestimated
the strength of the Taliban.
Despite intelligence warnings that “rapid Taliban advances” could
lead to the collapse of Afghan Security forces, a return to power
for the Taliban, and our embassy shutting amid reduced security.
The Government continued to act on the assumption that there was
no path to military victory for the Taliban. Complacent and
wrong.
They were let down by a lack planning. 18 months passed between
the Doha Agreement and the fall of Kabul. Yet only 2,000 of the
8,000 people eligible for the ARAP scheme had been brought to
Britain.
A strategic review was published to much fanfare, but it didn’t
even mention the Taliban, NATO withdrawal or the Doha Agreement.
And the Prime Minister only convened a G7 meeting on Afghanistan
after Kabul was lost.
Because of this lack of leadership the Government has left behind
so many to whom we owe so much.
MPs face thousands of desperate calls from people trying to get
to safety. Many remain in danger including the Afghan guards who
protected the British embassy.
In my constituency, Afghans who applied for ARAP weeks ago were
clearly eligible but they weren’t processed quickly enough to
make it to the planes. A familiar and desperate story to many
across the House.
The government doesn't even know how many UK nationals and how
many Afghans eligible under the ARAP scheme have been left behind
to the cruelty of the Taliban. A national disgrace.
Even if they could identify who we have left behind, the
Government doesn’t have a plan to get everybody out. Kabul
airport remains closed to international flights.
Safe passage has not been created to Afghanistan’s neighbours.
And there is no international agreement on the resettlement of
Afghan refugees. We have a Prime Minister incapable of
international leadership, just when we need it most.
The terrible attacks from ISIS K highlight the new security
threat. The government must quickly coordinate international
partners to ensure the Afghan Government’s collapse does not
leave a vacuum for terrorist groups to fill.
There is a desperate need for humanitarian support. The return to
2019 levels of aid spending for Afghanistan is necessary. And
where is the plan to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands?
To those who have managed to escape Afghanistan and have arrived
here in the UK. Welcome.
I know you will give much to this country as you make it your new
home. All you need is the help and support.
Local Authorities across the country are trying to play their
part. But they are in the dark over how many people they will be
asked to support and what resources they will have to do so.
History will tell the tale of Operation Pitting as one of immense
bravery. We are proud of all those who contributed, their story
made even more remarkable by the fact whilst they were saving
lives our political leadership was missing in action.