London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

MPs on all sides accuse Boris Johnson of Afghanistan failures

MPs on all sides accuse Boris Johnson of Afghanistan failures

Boris Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism from MPs over the UK's role in Afghanistan, in an emergency House of Commons debate on the crisis.

His predecessor as PM Theresa May said it was "incomprehensible" the UK was not doing more to maintain a presence, while ex-minister Johnny Mercer demanded more help for veterans.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of "staggering complacency".

But Mr Johnson argued Nato's "core mission" in Afghanistan had succeeded.

Addressing a packed Commons, he said the country had been largely cleared of al-Qaeda terrorists, while the population had enjoyed better education, women's rights and free elections since the 2001 invasion.

But Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and himself served in Afghanistan, said it had been "shameful" of US President Joe Biden to question the willingness of the Afghan army to fight the Taliban.

And, in an emotional speech that was heard in silence, he told of grief and rage felt by veterans at the "abandonment" of Afghanistan.

UK troops ceased combat operations in 2014 and most of those who remained, primarily to help train the Afghan army, left last month.

The government has agreed to resettle up to 20,000 Afghan refugees displaced by the return of the Taliban over the next few years.

Efforts are also continuing to evacuate UK nationals from Kabul airport, but Downing Street did not deny a report that one plane had taken off "almost empty".

Parliament was recalled from its summer break for the seven-and-half-hour debate on the situation in Afghanistan.

Mrs May called Nato's withdrawal "a major setback for British foreign policy".

She said it was "incomprehensible and worrying" that the UK government had not been able to put together an "alternative alliance of countries" to continue to support the Afghan government in the absence of US forces.

Another Conservative MP and former soldier, defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood, argued the UK "should never have left" Afghanistan.

"What we require is the backbone, the courage, the leadership to step forward, yet when our moment comes such as this we are found wanting," he said.

Mr Mercer, who served in Afghanistan and who quit as veterans' minister earlier this year, accused Mr Johnson of "consistently failing" to support ex-soldiers.


This was the first full in-person session in the House of Commons for over a year and Boris Johnson felt the full force of it.

He had to battle through parts of his opening statement on the crisis in Afghanistan, in a noisy chamber, as MPs from all sides vied to intervene.

It was a striking contrast to the often flat proceedings that have been a hallmark of the part-virtual Parliament over the past year.

Now, lined up on the front bench, Mr Johnson and his ministers not only had to hear the searing criticisms from colleagues but look them in the eye as well, whether in the chamber or in backrooms, corridors and passages.

Some 457 UK personnel have died and more than 2,000 have been wounded in Afghanistan since the invasion, prompted by the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US by al-Qaeda.

Mr Johnson said that "in spite of all the difficulties and challenges we knew we would face... we succeeded in that core mission" of removing the terror group's operatives from Afghanistan.

"It would be fair to say [recent] events in Afghanistan have unfolded and the collapse [of the Afghan government] has been faster than even the Taliban themselves predicated," he said.

"What is not true is to say the UK government was unprepared or did not foresee this."

Mr Johnson said the Taliban, who have promised to observe human rights, must be judged on "actions rather than words".

"At this bleak turning point we must help the people of Afghanistan determine the best of all possible futures," he added.

But opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of "staggering complacency" and "appalling" judgement by failing to plan properly for the withdrawal of troops over the past 18 months.

He called the government's refugee repatriation target too small and claimed the 20,000 figure had been "plucked out of the air".

To jeers from Conservative MPs, he said: "The prime minister's response to the Taliban arriving at the gates of Kabul was to go on holiday."

Mr Johnson received little backbench support during the debate, but Conservative Alicia Kearns said the government had "called for Nato allies to help us build a new coalition in Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban recapturing it, and we were let down".

Fellow Tory Caroline Nokes praised the prime minister for putting in place a scheme to "ensure that we can prioritise women and girls" in Afghanistan "and bring them to safety".

But SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford argued that the future of Afghanistan had "never been so uncertain" and that refugees needed more help.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey branded the prime minister a "national liability" who could not "escape culpability for this disaster".


PM Boris Johnson says British troops should be "proud of their achievements" in Afghanistan

Recap: Former soldiers were among the MPs who spoke in the debate

Sir Keir Starmer: "We face new threats to our security and an appalling humanitarian crisis"

Theresa May: “The politicians decided to withdraw, the politicians must be responsible for the consequences”


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×