London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 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
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
Eleven British Seafarers Receive Merchant Navy Medal
Which? Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Rental Listing to Expose Booking.com Vetting Weaknesses
BP Appoints New Chairman in Effort to Stabilise Leadership
Aberdeen Sells Hydrogen Bus Fleet at Heavy Loss After Green Transport Experiment
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Heat
Scotland Pledges to End Temporary Accommodation for Children and Build 111,000 Affordable Homes
DNO Agrees $396 Million Deal to Acquire Capricorn Energy
Uber and Wayve Launch UK’s First Supervised Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London
Britain Expected to Avoid New US Tariffs Targeting European Union
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Energy Costs Higher and Revives Inflation Concerns
×