London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2026

Inside Dominic Raab's £1000-a-night Crete holiday as Afghanistan collapsed

Inside Dominic Raab's £1000-a-night Crete holiday as Afghanistan collapsed

BUNGLING Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was having a splashing time in his £1,000-a-night holiday suite’s private pool as Afghanistan collapsed in chaos.

Mr Raab, 47, lapped up the luxury of his resort’s exclusive “Amirandes Family Suite” which boasts its own pool and garden in Crete.

A look inside the £1,000-per-night resort in Crete where Dominic Raab stayed while Afghanistan was falling to the Taliban

The bedroom in the luxury holiday resort

The beachside terrace with a pool

And he was unable to tear himself away from the dream hideaway among millionaires and celebrities for three crucial days as the Taliban encircled Kabul.

Raab was facing the axe from “furious” Boris Johnson today amid claims his inaction could have cost the lives of trapped translators facing revenge for helping British forces.

And his cabinet post was hanging by a thread last night as more details of his stay at the sumptuous Amirandes Boutique Resort emerged.

Sources revealed last night that his Brazilian wife Erika Rey booked the ground floor suite in her name.

Their ground-floor apartment boasted 40 square metres of tastefully-furnished living space opening out onto a 70 square metre garden complete with his and hers sunbeds.

The couple baked in glorious 30C sunshine and cooled off in their own plunge pool on their private terrace, a stone’s throw from the manicured beach.

They enjoyed the choice of the palm-fringed resort’s Lago Di Candia and Minotaur restaurants - adorned with genuine Picasso ceramics - and three beachside bars.

The hotel - styled as a “sparkling boutique resort for the privileged and perceptive” - also offers pampering treatments and massages at its Elixir Alchemy Spa.

Mr Raab has claimed he continued to monitor the Kabul crisis while on holiday


Mr Raab’s arrival was so low key that staff had no idea the British minister was the tanned tripper enjoying swimming, sunbathing and paddle tennis until he suddenly checked out.

A source told The Sun: “His arrival was so discreet that few people realised there was a British minister here until he left in a hurry.

“Their suite was beautiful with its own pool and garden but was by no means the most expensive here.

“He seemed to be really enjoying his holiday until he cut short his trip and left last Sunday - it wasn’t until then that people realised he was a VIP.”

'Monitoring crisis'


Father-of-two Mr Raab has claimed he continued to monitor the Kabul crisis while on holiday and insisted he did not spend long periods sunning himself.

But Brits at the hotel yesterday claimed he spent “hours” chilling out on Sunday as the bloodthirsty Islamists began pouring into Kabul, sending Afghans fleeing for their lives.

Fellow guests of the politician included millionaire tycoons and Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen.

Ian, 60, who played dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen’s bodyguard, Ser Jorah Mormont was still relaxing with his family at the resort today.

Raab has been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” when he ignored pleas to phone his Afghan counterpart to help the translators.

He is said to have delegated junior minister Lord Goldsmith to make the important call - but it emerged yesterday that no call was made as events spiralled out of control.

One hotel guest said he saw the top Tory on the beach between 11.30am and 3.30pm local time on Sunday as the Taliban moved into the Afghan capital.

The tripper - who asked not to be named - said he saw Mr Raab swimming, running and washing sand off his legs as Britain’s biggest foreign policy calamity in decades unfolded.

They added: “There was one point when I saw him using his mobile phone.

A view of the luxury villas in the Amirandes Beach Resort where the Foreign Secretary spent his holiday


“It looked like he was checking messages or texts as he was sitting on his lounger. But, I didn’t see him on the telephone talking.”

A Foreign Office source disputed the witness’s account and insisted Mr Raab had spent only limited time on the beach.

It also emerged yesterday that the embattled minister had been on his sun lounger in Crete from August 6 - a week before Kabul’s fall gathered pace.

'Caught off-guard'


Mr Raab has admitted he was “caught off-guard” by the speed of the Taliban advance which he said “’no one saw coming”.

But he insisted he returned to the UK late on Sunday evening “as soon as the situation deteriorated and demanded it”

Mr Raab issued a statement defending his decision not to call Afghan foreign counterpart Hanif Atmara yesterday.

“He said: “On Friday afternoon, August 13 , advice was put to my Private Office recommending a call to the Afghan Foreign Minister.

“This was quickly overtaken by events.

“The call was delegated to a Minister of State because I was prioritising security and capacity at the airport.

“In any event, the Afghan Foreign Minister agreed to take the call, but was unable to because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.”

Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul after the city fell into chaos

Hundreds of Afghan citizens piled on board a US carrier plane in an attempt to flee the Taliban

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Political Censorship: French Prosecutors Raid Musk’s X Offices in Paris
AI Invented “Hot Springs” — Tourists Arrived and Were Shocked
Tech Mega-Donors Power Trump-Aligned Fundraising Surge to $429 Million Ahead of 2026 Midterms
UK Pharma Watchdog Rules Sanofi Breached Industry Code With RSV Vaccine Claims Against Pfizer
Melania Documentary Opens Modestly in UK with Mixed Global Box Office Performance
Starmer Arrives in Shanghai to Promote British Trade and Investment
Harry Styles, Anthony Joshua and Premier League Stars Among UK’s Top Taxpayers
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
China Lifts Sanctions on British MPs and Peers After Starmer Xi Talks in Beijing
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair to Reorient U.S. Monetary Policy Toward Pro-Growth Interest Rates
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
Putin’s Four-Year Ukraine Invasion Cost: Russia’s Mass Casualty Attrition and the Donbas Security-Guarantee Tradeoff
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
Kim Kardashian Admits Faking Paparazzi Visit to Britney Spears for Fame in Early 2000s
UPS to Cut 30,000 More Jobs by 2026 Amid Shift to High-Margin Deliveries
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
×