Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
BORIS JOHNSON SAID today it is “total rhubarb” to say he intervened to get animals airlifted out of Afghanistan, after leaked emails suggested he authorised the controversial move.
In yet more controversy to hit the British Prime Minister this month, he sought to dismiss allegations he personally approved the evacuation of cats and dogs from the Nowzad charity in Kabul.
He has repeatedly denied approving their rescue in the final days of the mission as thousands of people wanting to flee the Taliban were left behind.
But a newly-surfaced email shared with a Commons inquiry shows a British Foreign Office official saying in August that the Prime Minister had just “authorised” the animals’ rescue.
“This whole thing is total rhubarb,” the Prime Minister told broadcasters during a visit to Hanson Aggregates in Conwy, North Wales, saying he was “proud” of the military airlifts.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman had earlier said: “It’s not uncommon in Whitehall for a decision to be interpreted or portrayed as coming directly from the Prime Minister even when that’s not the case and it’s our understanding that’s what happened in this instance. We appreciate it was a frenetic time for those officials dealing with this situation.”
Asked if he was suggesting the Foreign Office official was mistaken, he replied: “I can’t say individually which official but that’s our understanding of what happened.”
Cabinet minister Therese Coffey suggested the official had been acting in an unauthorised capacity.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told LBC: “I’ve seen a screenshot of an email. Quite often it’s not unusual in Parliament and in Government for people to say… for their pet projects the PM has said it’s a priority.
“There are a lot of things we deliver as the Government but the PM had no role in individual evacuations and the Defence Secretary (Ben Wallace) said he was in charge of (the overall rescue operation) in that regard.”
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg described calls for a debate on the issue as “fussing about a few animals”.
Emails
Emails shared with the Foreign Affairs Committee show an official in Foreign Office minister Lord Goldsmith’s private office telling colleagues on August 25 “the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated”.
A separate email from another Foreign Office official referred to the “PM’s decision earlier today to evacuate the staff of the Nowzad animal charity”.
They were submitted to the MPs by Raphael Marshall, who worked for the Foreign Office at the time and alleges the animals were evacuated following an order from Mr Johnson – despite the Prime Minister previously describing suggestions he personally intervened as “complete nonsense”.
A previously leaked letter showed Conservative MP Trudy Harrison, then parliamentary private secretary to Johnson, also hinted at involvement.
The MP for Copeland wrote to Nowzad founder Paul “Pen” Farthing on August 25 to inform him the evacuation could go ahead.
With it unclear how the charity is connected to the Cumbrian constituency, Marshall said No 10’s claim she was acting in her capacity as a constituency MP is “not credible”.
He told the committee: “A request for the evacuation of Nowzad’s staff from Ms Harrison in her capacity as MP for Copeland would have been disregarded.”
In another development, Harrison admitted contacting a private charter company in a bid to secure a plane to transport Nowzad’s staff and animals.
A charter employee told Sky News the Tory MP contacted the unnamed firm on August 25, making it clear she was working for the Prime Minister, repeatedly referring to him as “the boss”.
In a statement, Harrison responded: “I was assisting Pen Farthing and Nowzad as a constituency MP in response to many Copeland constituents’ requests to assist.”
Another document released by the Commons committee revealed Sir Philip Barton, the top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said he was “not aware” of any support from No 10 for the animal airlift.
Campaign
Downing Street insisted Johnson played “no role” in authorising individual evacuations during the RAF rescue mission, which was dubbed Operation Pitting.
Wallace told broadcasters: “The claims that have been made and emails from the Foreign Office, who were not responsible for the actual evacuation operation, I don’t know where they come from but they certainly don’t show the reality, which was: I was in charge, the Prime Minister never asked me, it was nonsense.”
As Kabul fell to the Taliban, Farthing launched a high-profile campaign to get his staff and animals out, using a plane funded through donations. The British Government sponsored clearance for the charter flight, leading to allegations that animals had been prioritised over people in the exit effort.
Dominic Dyer, an ally of Farthing, previously said he spoke with ministers and Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie to “put pressure on him” over the evacuation.
On Thursday, he said he felt “vindicated” by the newly-released emails, adding: “I’m not certain why he didn’t feel he could explain his involvement in August at the end of this operation.”
Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey said: “Once again, the Prime Minister has been caught out lying about what he has been doing and deciding.
“He should never have given priority to flying animals out of Afghanistan while Afghans who worked for our armed forces were left behind.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
so the time spent by the SF members hearing from experts at the committee after the Ard Fheis was worthless for this committee process.
@steve white: Mind you don’t get a friction burn from those straws you’re clutching.
@The Risen: Ah yes, the unwavering SF supporters.
Your party has no plans for the economy or anything else? Doesnt matter!
You party supports terrorism and praise high ranking terrorist leaders? Doesnt matter!
@Andy K: My view on abortion is to the left of SFs policy, so its
Do try to keep up, lest you look silly.
@The Risen: Steve makes a very relevant point.
@Michael Farrelly: Not really when their plans for the ‘economy or anything else’ are freely available on their website.
@The Risen: Why should anyone try to ‘keep up’ with the views of some anonymous online Provophile?
@steve white: tough for shinners to look like they want abortion when many of their support base are religiously inclined. They’re not going to be able to square this peg so they are in filibuster mode for as long as they can so they look like they care without really caring at all. Anything to win a vote. It’s their policy on most things to be fair so at least they are consistent.
@The Risen: they decided which way they were going to vote before the committee hearings were over.
@steve white: By ‘they’ do you mean the membership who got to vote on the matter via their ard feis?
@The Risen: yes..but why do SF bother to attend the committee meetings. They are voting as directed by ard fheis (No issue with that)…so it doesn’t matter what they hear at committee.
@steve white: In fairness, so did the committee
@Mary Loony Mc Donald: Presumably so they can report back information from those committee meetings?
@Brendan O’Brien Perhaps it’s because they’re beholden to the fifth commandment (Thou shalt not kill)——Oh oh: It’s Sinn Fein we’re talking about!
@Andy K: you oviously never looked up the sinn fein website sinn fein have policys on all matters your comment is not very educated
@The Risen: typical SF. When the going gets too tough for them they run for the nearest fence. They were a waste of space on the committee.
@Harry Roberts: You must have been watching a different committee mate. The Sinn Fein TDs were among many of the excellent contributors there.
@John Doe: ah shure it’s OK, when the PC zeitgeist approve. We need to be at the vanguard of liberalist thinking.
@Tom McHugh: just to be clear, this is from a person who detests nationalism dressed up as republicans.
@The Risen: no I mean the SF members of the committee who position was frozen before the end of the committee hearings
This fence sitting tells me that sinn fein are no different to FG, FF and Labour. Party politics is the main obstacle to progress in this country.
@Shane Carroll: Silly post. They have a clear position as a party on repeal, and on circumstances where abortion should be allowed.
@Shane Carroll: The difference being that SF are respecting their members who didn’t vote for abortion on demand, which is essentially what this is. SF are also having a special Ard Fheis February, I suspect their TDs and Senators will want this issue revisited
@Shane Carroll: no it’s the people who validate that non-communal stance by their votes that is the true fence sitting. She would actually lose votes if she took a stand. Safer to fix potholes, get ppl a medical card and express no opinions
@コナー・リンチ Conor Lynch: sorry, non-comittal
@The Risen: silly post by you. if they have a clear position why didn’t they vote for or against. Abstaining on votes shouldn’t be an option. This is the tactic FF are using to support FG while trying to save face. The abortion issue should be a simple referendum to either bring us in line with the rest of Europe or stay as we are. Why are politicians turning it into such a devisive issue? Distraction from other issues I would say.
@The Risen: not very clear when they abstain
@The Risen: If they have a clear position then surely it should be easy to vote one way or the other based on that position?
@John Doe: To the best of my knowledge SF have never voted on unrestricted access up till 12 weeks. On foot of that an abstention makes sense as there is no formal position.
I’m open to correction on this.
@The Risen: Makes sense I suppose
@The Risen: What is that position please.
Stop complicating the issue, you either believe in murder or you don’t
@Bart: Fake twitter accounts complicate the issue too.
@Bart: yes murder is a reality..happens everyday…abortion is not murder though.
@Bart: if you have evidence of a murder please call the Gardai.
It would not be practicable to limit abortion in the first 12 weeks to cases of rape and incest. It would not be possible to establish a prima facile case within that very tight time scale.
If there is to be abortion , better that the abortion be at the earliest possible point in time. That will be facilitated by unrestricted access up to a point in time and progressive restrictions at a later point in time.
The first step is to vote to retain or to repeal the 8th Amendment. Unless or until repeal happens, everything else is hypothetical.
I am beginning to think that a vote for Sinn Fein is the same as taking a scam phone call, they want your vote but abstain on everything else.
Oh God, another centrist party in Ireland, Labour needed some company, didn’t they?
Sinn Féin need to cop on or they’ll be stuck on 14% support for eternity
@Franklin Roosevelt: *13.8%.
@Honeybadger197: they had 0% 20 years ago.
FFG had more than 2/3 of the vote 20 years ago.
They now have less than 1/2.
The only reason their coalition exists is because of a few easily bought off Independents.
@Franklin Roosevelt: Dry your eyes love.
Honeybadger leading a political rally:
WHAT DO WE WANT?
Incremental political change!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
As little as possible, as late as possible!
And a review of your political rally:
Just got back from the centrist rally. Amazing turnout. Thousands of people holding hands and chanting “Better things aren’t possible!”
@Franklin Roosevelt: You must be incredibly bored, comrade. :)
Abortion on demand may be a step too far for this country as this is still such an emotive subject. Perhaps we should go for limited and controlled abortion rather than risk the whole thing being rejected by going for too much.
@David Knight: only those pregnant women and pregant girls who are to young, too dependent, too poor or legally incapacitated from travel are affected since all others can travel to the UK for an abortion.
@David Knight: it is impossible to legislate for limited abortions in cases of rape or incest. There are also thousands of women taking abortion pills at home. Abortions prior to 12 weeks happen every day here. All this would do would be to ensure those women have medical supervision and support, and don’t face 14 years in prison. We are beyond the point of “keeping Ireland abortion free”. This proposal is merely playing catch up with reality. Regardless of what people’s opinions are, it is happening and women should be protected and supported in their health and reproductive choices.
@David Knight: the majority of terminations are done in the first trimester, it’s not like FFA which usually get picked up on 16 weeks plus, it’s not like someone who is 24 weeks pregnant just decided to have a termination for the crack of it, if you find out your pregnant it’s at the 6 to 8 week stage, you can’t continue you can take a pill by 10 weeks your not pregnant anymore.
@WynnnerZ:
It’s so easy and clinical “you can take a pill by 10 weeks your not pregnant anymore”.
More simple, you could exercise adult responsibility and not be pregnant at all.
@Fran Lonergan: Are you including rape victims in your ‘adult responsibility’ comment. How about people who practised adult responsibility by using contraception, but it fails?
@Fran Lonergan: Shall I assume you’ve presented yourself as available for any and all clinical trials relating to the male contraceptive pill. And that you will be gifting all male family members, friends, colleagues, etc condoms for Christmas and subsequent birthdays, ensuring all persons “exercise adult responsibility”.
@Felicity Hensen:
Why would I, and why should take on resposibility for others Felicity? I don’t expect others to absolve me of my responsilities.
We are all responsible for our actions, or should be, I know that has become unfashionable.
Strange though that in all my years I have never been party to a “crisis pregnancy”. It is not difficult.
@Fran Lonergan: If you feel that you should not take on such responsibility, why then do you feel you have the authority to exercise such control over other people’s lives. Should a person choose to have an abortion, they take that responsibility. Not you. Not me. Nor anyone else. That person. And whatever their need or reason to do so is also theirs. To the best of your knowledge you may not have “been party to a “crisis pregnancy”". And you are also not party to the myriad reasons a person may need to avail of abortion services. Your path is yours to travel. You want to prevent abortions, help prevent crisis pregnancies. And if you can’t or won’t do that, at least stop impeding those who take the entire picture into account.
@Felicity Hensen:
But the problem is, they haven’t taken control of their own body. Quite the opposite given in to carnal desire without exercising responsibility and then deciding to destroy the other body they have created.
There is very little need for “crisis pregnancies” and close to no reasons for exercising the selfish decision to kill that which is regarded as a crisis.
It is not difficult not to get pregnant.
“To the best of your knowledge you may not have “been party to a “crisis pregnancy” No, not to the best of my knowledge, to my absolute knowledge.
@The Risen:
What do you reckon is the percentage of abortions due to rape, Risen? An overused straw man.
@Fran Lonergan: Your unwillingness to help contribute to another form of contraception, and your use of giving “in to carnal desire without exercising responsibility”, shows that you have no interest in understanding that pregnancy is not a simple black & white situation. And that your true aim is to continue asserting authority over those people you deem to have strayed from a path you view as acceptable. Actually, my point still stands and it is not to your “absolute knowledge”. Unless you have been engaging in utter dominion over the person or people with whom you’ve had sexual encounters.
@Felicity Hensen:
I’m afraid Felicity, it is a black and white issue. It is that simple, if you don’t want to be pregnant, don’t get pregnant.
Using over the top language doesn’t make your argument any more powerful or coherent. You are just repeating nonsense.
Hopefully if SF are having a special ard feis to select a new President, they can revisit the issue in light of the sterling work done by the committee and discuss whether or not to support unrestricted access till 12 weeks.
@The Risen: bit late now, one hopes this committee will effect the SF thought process in future, its partly the govs fault for delaying for 20-30 years and then slightly rushing things.
@The Risen: Your devotion to SF is unconditional and tireless on the journal….If only other political parties had people of faith like you….
@John003: My position on abortion is not the same as SFs position, hence my comment.
@The Risen: selective
SF don’t want to offend rural voters in places like Leitrim…However will that mean urban voters in South Dublin will be offended….They should impose a party policy like they always do….
@John003: They have a policy on repeal and on the circumstances on which abortion should be permitted john. And the article is about that policy being respected by its TDs on the committee.
@The Risen: what’s the parties policy on bullying?
Anti-choicers abstaining from abortion vote shock horror. Amazing how even a Fianna Fail deputy went in with an open mind but our SF friends continue to appease the bible bashers whose votes they count on up north.
@Darren Bates: SF support abortion in limited circumstances and a repeal of the 8th.
Have another read of your comment in that context.
@The Risen: can SF also furnish the test that will show us a woman/girl has been raped?
@Darren Bates: “Anti-choicers”, “bible bashers”. Sounds like a bit of open mindedness would do yourself some good also
@Deborah Behan: Deborah, I personally think that it’s unworkable. Now that 3 SF TDs have heard as much from many different contributors at the committee, I’m hoping they will articulate that to others in their party and move to support the recommendation for 12 weeks unrestricted access.
SF unable to support a policy that Luxembourg have had since 1978. Just too radical.
There goes my Sinn Fein membership, I had high hopes.
@Mr Jerry Curtin: good idea, throw you membership card in the bin, stay at home, don’t vote.
Let FFG maintain their duopoly coalition.
Maybe we can try for abortion again in 2080?
“as it would likely require proof of an assault”
Obviously, otherwise anyone could just claim their unwanted pregnancy was result of assault.
@Don Alfredo: yeah, like they would do that
To sum that article up – SF impose the whip and FF / FG don’t !!!
@lavbeer: an Ard fheis resolution is a party wide democratic policy and not a party whip decision.
@M Bowe: I know. And it is unusual for FF or FG not to use the whip but in this case the correct decision. SF may well have issues with Peadar Tobin who I find to be a positive TD for SF who generally talks aloe if sense.
Sinn Fein know it all sniping from the sidelines where they will remain forever with the help of a perceptive electorate
have your say