London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Boris Johnson denies authorising animal evacuation from Kabul

Boris Johnson denies authorising animal evacuation from Kabul

Boris Johnson has rejected claims that he authorised the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul last year.

It comes after emails from officials published by MPs suggested the prime minister intervened in the evacuation of the animal charity Nowzad.

But Mr Johnson denied this, and added that the idea animals were prioritised over people was "total rhubarb".

Earlier, Labour said his story was "not credible" and accused him of lying.

Further emails from the time of the evacuation, seen by BBC Newsnight, show Downing Street's guidance was sought on approving Nowzad's airlift.

On Wednesday, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published several emails as part of its inquiry into the evacuation of people from Kabul.

About 15,000 people were airlifted out of the Afghan capital last August, as the Taliban took control after the withdrawal of Western forces.

Among these were Pen Farthing, an ex-Royal Marine who runs the Nowzad animal charity, and 150 animals, on a chartered plane paid for by donations.

The UK government sponsored clearance for it, leading to a row over whether animals had been prioritised over people during the rescue effort.

The charity's Afghan staff made it to the airport with paperwork from the British government to leave.

But Mr Farthing said last-minute changes by the US authorities to require a passport with a visa meant they were not allowed into the airport. They later made it safely to Pakistan.

'Seeking a steer'


Two of the emails published by the committee on Wednesday suggest the PM was involved in authorising the charity's evacuation.

Asked on Thursday whether he had intervened, Mr Johnson replied: "Absolutely not".

But BBC Newsnight's Sima Kotecha has seen two emails with the subject heading "Pen Farthing and dogs", showing the Foreign Office and the prime minister's special representative for Afghanistan, Nigel Casey, sought guidance from No 10 over the issue.

One of the emails published by the Foreign Affairs Committee shows an unnamed official in Foreign Office Minister Zac Goldsmith's office writing to colleagues working on the evacuation.

The official wrote: "[animal charity - name redacted] are a [details redacted] animal charity operating in Kabul and seeking to evacuation their [details redacted] members of staff (no animals)."

"Equivalent charity Nowzad, run by an ex-Royal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated, [animal charity - name redacted] are hoping to be treated in the same capacity."

Another email from an unnamed Foreign Office official, sent on the same day, also referenced Nowzad in a request for clearance for another charity.

The official wrote: "In light of the PM's decision earlier today to evacuate the staff of the Nowzad animal charity, the [animal charity - name redacted] (another animal rights NGO) is asking for agreement to the entry of [details redacted] staff, all Afghan nationals".

'Not credible'


In a written statement to the committee, Mr Farthing said no UK government "capacity" had been used to transport the animals.

On Thursday, the PM's spokesman said he played "no role in authorising individual evacuations from Afghanistan, including Nowzad staff and animals".

The spokesman added: "It's not uncommon in Whitehall for decisions to be interpreted or portrayed as coming directly from the prime minster even when that's not the case.

"It's our understanding that's what happened in this instance."

Speaking earlier, Labour's shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy said it was "increasingly clear that the prime minister's story is not credible".

"The prime minister has lied about what he did and the actions he took during that time," she added.

"I think it's becoming increasingly clear that you cannot believe a word that our prime minister says."


Boris Johnson says Afghan animal evacuation claims are "total rhubarb"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×