Daily update – Parliament to discuss Afghanistan

Politics Live 

5:00pm – Goodbye

That’s all from the live team today. Parliament goes back into recess tomorrow until the 6th of September.

Here are your key headlines:

4:40pm – Afghanistan: Debate in 2 minutes

Afghanistan: Debate in 2 minutes

4:12pm – Afghanistan: ‘The fear, the danger’

Michael Saliba’s special report today on the protests outside parliament over the Afghanistan crisis.

Afghanistan: ‘The fear, the danger’

3:50pm – Praise for Laurie Bristow

The British ambassador is still in Kabul, working tirelessly to get UK nationals and Afghan personnel home. Bristow has rightly received praise from across the House for his team’s efforts.

2:45pm – No.10 update on Afghanistan

1:30pm – Austin Mitchell (1934-2021)

Away from the Afghanistan debate, we have some sad news to bring you.

Austin Mitchell, the former Labour MP for Great Grimsby (1977-2015) has died at the age of 86.

12:01pm – Powerful speech by Tom Tugendhat

This is a must-watch.

10:54am – Starmer on Afghanistan

10:06am – Video highlights of the debate

Follow our live Twitter thread on the debate as we bring you video highlights from a packed House of Commons.

9:35am – Debate could roll onto 5pm

9:24am – Protests outside parliament

The five-hour debate on Afghanistan is due to get underway at 9:30am. Our reporter Michael Saliba is at Westminster right now where protests are taking place at Parliament Square. You can see more on this story on Politics.co.uk later.

8:30am – Good morning

In a rare move, parliament has been recalled from its summer recess to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. The UK government is expected to hear criticism from both sides of the house on a number of issues, including the speed and level of support for Afghan refugees, whether the UK was unprepared for the crisis, and Britain’s foreign policy choices in comparison to the US.

Key headlines

  • Parliament returns to discuss Afghan conflict
  • 20,000 refugees to be granted asylum
  • Patel pitches new resettlement scheme this morning

Newspaper roundup

  • Daily Mail – “Deliverance and despair”.
  • Daily Mirror – “Escape fro the Taliban: Save them”.
  • Financial Times – “Taliban vows to respect women’s rights ‘within Islam’s framework.’”
  • Guardian – “UK to take 20,000 refugees fleeing the Taliban regime”.
  • i – “Trust us, say Taliban: Afghan residents in hiding as militia raid homes and arrest activists”.
  • Telegraph – “Patel calls on Europe to help take in refugees”.
  • Times – “UK to admit 20,000 Afghans”.

What’s coming up in parliament today

  • 9:30am: A five hour debate on Afghanistan in the House of Commons