London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

Afghanistan: Boris Johnson to face MPs over handling of crisis

Afghanistan: Boris Johnson to face MPs over handling of crisis

Boris Johnson will defend his handling of the Afghanistan crisis in the Commons as he reiterates his vow to use "every economic, political and diplomatic lever" to help Afghans.

Both he and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have faced criticism over the UK's response to the Taliban takeover.

The prime minister will make a statement in the House later on Monday.

It comes after the UK's top general said "everybody got it wrong" on how quickly the Taliban would gain control.

Labour has been among those warning that the UK could face a heightened terror threat if extremism is allowed to flourish in Afghanistan.

The last British and US troops left Afghanistan at the end of August, bringing their 20-year military campaign in the country to an end.

There has been criticism of the way the West withdrew, with questions over how the Taliban was able to seize control of the country at such speed.

And there is also concern that many Afghans who were eligible to come to the UK -many of whom worked with the British armed forces or government - have been left behind.

In a statement to Parliament, which returns on Monday from its summer recess, Mr Johnson will pledge to "use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to protect our country from harm and help the Afghan people".

He has previously said Western governments could withhold substantial funds from the Taliban.

Mr Johnson will also commend the "courage and ingenuity" of those involved in the UK's evacuation of around 15,000 people from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The prime minister is expected to provide an update on the government's new resettlement programme for Afghans, which will allow a total of 20,000 people to settle in the UK over the coming years.

Mr Johnson will also use his Commons speech to thank the 150,000 British service men and women for their work in Afghanistan over the past two decades.

His statement comes in the week marking the 20th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania which prompted the US and its allies to go to war in Afghanistan.

Downing Street said he would announce an additional £5m to help military charities provide support for veterans with the aim of ensuring "no veteran's request for help will go unanswered".

The PM's last appearance in the House of Commons came during an emergency debate on the Afghanistan crisis on 18 August, when he faced a barrage of criticism from MPs on all sides.

On Sunday, Gen Sir Nick Carter, the chief of the defence staff, told the BBC the pace of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan "surprised us".

"I don't think what anybody predicted was how fragile that Afghan government was and how fragile it was in relation to the command of its armed forces."

Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said there was a strong possibility that Britain may now be less safe because of the events in Afghanistan.

"The urgent task for the government... is to make sure Afghanistan doesn't collapse once again into a haven of terrorism," she said.


Gen Sir Nick Carter says the Taliban managed to "buy off" opponents as it took over


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
×