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
4:12pm – Afghanistan: ‘The fear, the danger’
Michael Saliba’s special report today on the protests outside parliament over the Afghanistan crisis.
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.
We are working flat out to bring British nationals and our Afghan colleagues to safety. We’ve already helped hundreds of people to leave on military flights. pic.twitter.com/Cv3fgsE8IO
— Laurie Bristow (@laurie_bristow) August 18, 2021
2:45pm – No.10 update on Afghanistan
Update on Afghanistan:
➞ We’ve secured the return of 306 British nationals
➞ We’ve resettled 2,052 Afghan nationals
➞ We’ve completed a further 2,000 Afghan resettlement applications, with many more being processed
➞ We’ve deployed 900 troops to help the evacuation operation— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 18, 2021
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.
.@TomTugendhat’s speech in the Afghanistan debate was one of the most electrifying moments I’ve seen in the Commons.
“This last week has been one which has seen me struggle through anger and grief and rage”
Take eight minutes to watch the whole thing https://t.co/pyuLDg3Bf6
— Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) August 18, 2021
10:54am – Starmer on Afghanistan
4: @Keir_Starmer 👇
💢"The prime minister's response to the Taliban arriving at the gates of Kabul, was to go on holiday". pic.twitter.com/ZsVFv1co0j
— Politics.co.uk (@Politics_co_uk) August 18, 2021
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.
1: @Tobias_Ellwood asks if there will be an independent inquiry into Afghanistan.
🗣️PM: 'Most of the key questions have already been gone into'. pic.twitter.com/FPdCsz1XeE
— Politics.co.uk (@Politics_co_uk) August 18, 2021
9:35am – Debate could roll onto 5pm
Afghan crisis debate in parliament about to begin. Was due to finish at 2.30pm but am told by govt sources now likely to go on until 5pm after David Davis tabled amendment to business of house motion
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) August 18, 2021
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.
Zarah Sultana: ‘You cannot bomb a country into democracy’ pic.twitter.com/SdCbtYRJpk
— Michael Saliba (@MFSalibaba) August 18, 2021
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