London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

I don't believe Taliban pledge on women's rights, Priti Patel says

I don't believe Taliban pledge on women's rights, Priti Patel says

Women and girls and persecuted minorities will make up the bulk of the Afghan refugees resettled in the UK, the home secretary has said.

While the Taliban said women's rights will be respected, Priti Patel told the BBC it was hard to believe "the PR operation that we're currently seeing".

The UK government will work with other nations and pledged to resettle 5,000 Afghans in the UK in the first year.

However, some MPs have criticised the scheme for not going far enough.

Thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country after the Taliban seized control of the capital Kabul.

The government has committed to resettling up to 20,000 Afghan refugees in the UK in the long term - and Ms Patel said she wanted the majority of those to be women and girls and persecuted minorities.

The Taliban have promised the rights of women in Afghanistan will be respected "within the framework of Islamic law".

But the home secretary said the group had a history of oppressing women and "that's not going to change overnight".

"I genuinely do not think that we should be at all believing the spokespeople or the PR operation that we're currently seeing," she told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Ms Patel refused to give a timescale for how long it would take for the 20,000 Afghans to be brought to the UK.

However, she compared the new scheme to one introduced for Syrian refugees, which saw a similar number of people resettled over a period of seven years.

"We could end up bringing many more [than 20,000] but first of all we have to have the underpinning and the infrastructure and the support to do that," she said.

She said a target of 5,000 in the first year was "deliverable", adding: "It would be terrible quite frankly to bring people and not be able to give them the support that they would need in terms of accommodation, resettlement and giving them the opportunity to build a new life in the UK."

Downing Street also said the 5,000 figure was "not a hard cap" but based on expectations of how many people would be able to leave over that time period.

Asked how the UK would get vulnerable people, who may not feel safe leaving their homes, out of Afghanistan, Ms Patel said ministers would work with third party agencies, humanitarian organisations and other governments, including the US and Canada.

She added that people could also be resettled from neighbouring countries, as well as Afghanistan itself.

Meanwhile, Parliament has been recalled and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been updating MPs about the situation in Afghanistan.

He said the government would be doing everything it can to support those who have helped the UK mission in Afghanistan and to "avert a humanitarian crisis".


Ministers have been rushing to put this scheme together in response to the situation in Afghanistan, with the final details signed off on Tuesday.

Information on how to apply is expected soon.

The scheme is loosely based on the one introduced during the Syrian war, which also saw 20,000 move to the UK from 2014 to 2021.

But ministers acknowledge the practicalities of getting people out of Afghanistan will be considerably more complicated because of the extent of Taliban control.

Government insiders don't know the extent to which the new regime will allow people to flee if they so choose.

There will be funding for the resettlement programme - and the government will work with local councils and devolved governments on where to house Afghans who come to the UK.

The scheme has faced criticism from opposition parties and some Conservative MPs.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, told the Daily Mirror it was a "woefully inadequate response", citing the government only aiming to help 5,000 refugees in the first year when "the threat is at its greatest".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the target of resettling 20,000 Afghans was "too small" and had been "plucked out of the air".

Lib Dems foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran agreed that "20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target".

Refugee charities welcomed the announcement as a positive first step but said the timeframe was too slow and eligibility for asylum should be expanded.

Among those hoping they might get help to leave Afghanistan through the scheme is a former teacher in Kandahar.

The 21-year-old woman - who the BBC is not naming to protect her safety - fled for Kabul after the Taliban captured Kandahar but said she was now too afraid to leave the house.

"I was working with an educational organisation - the Taliban, they do not accept these things," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Now I do not feel safe at all... I'm just like a prisoner in the house now."

She said Afghans needed help to escape now - and if she had to wait years for help it may be too late.

"We are in the situation that we cannot guarantee our lives for tomorrow," she said.

"Will I be alive tomorrow? We cannot guarantee that."

An RAF plane arrived at Brize Norton on Tuesday as part of UK efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan

The new plan is on top of an existing scheme for interpreters and other Afghans who have worked for the UK government - the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Some 5,000 Afghans and their family members will come to the UK via that scheme this year. Nearly 2,000 have arrived since 22 June.

The UK has already sent about 900 troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate British nationals and Afghans who are eligible to resettle in the UK.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said seven more planes were being sent to Kabul and the UK hoped to fly out 1,000 more people on Wednesday.

He told the BBC that British forces were collaborating with the Taliban, who were providing security around Kabul's airport.

Sir Nick said the Taliban seemed prepared to allow people to leave the country at the moment but "we need to be clear that this is only possible if they behave in a reasonable fashion".


Home Secretary Priti Patel says she doesn't believe the Taliban's "PR operation" on women's rights

Afghan interpreter: "I'm so worried about my parents and my sisters' safety"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×