Minister makes inaccurate statement on Afghans granted sanctuary in UK

Foreign Office makes embarrassing climbdown as officials DENY Afghan contractors have been granted clearance to come to the UK – hours after a junior minister said they had

• A minister told MPs that half of 190 Afghans were granted sanctuary in the UK
• But the Foreign Office had to correct the record as this was not the case
• In fact, just 47 have been invited to provide biometrics at a visa centre so far

The Foreign Office were forced into an embarrassing climbdown last night after a junior minister made inaccurate statements about British Council workers stranded in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty told MPs on Thursday that half of the 190 contractors and their family members had been given the green light to come to the UK.

However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) were compelled to correct the record and clarify that no contractors have been granted clearance. In fact, just 47 have been invited to provide biometrics at a visa centre and will face extra security checks.

He also mistakenly suggested the proposed 1,500 places on the relocation scheme was not an ‘upper limit’ and that ‘another cohort will be established from June’. But the FCDO said the figure was a limit for the relocation pathway and there was no plans to help wider groups in Afghanistan.

A junior minister made inaccurate statements British Council workers stranded in Afghanistan being granted sanctuary in the UK. Pictured: Passengers board a US plane as they evacuate from Afghanistan in August 2021

Mr Docherty was responding to a debate lead by senior Tory John Baron, a consistent campaigner for the safety of Afghan British Council workers.

Since the insurgents took over Afghanistan again in 2021, the former council workers have suffered brutal beatings as revenge for teaching English to Afghans and promoting British values.

Despite the decision, they still face huge issues getting here, as the Taliban have closed passport offices and set up checkpoints on major roads. Anyone suspected of trying to flee to Britain is arrested.

Earlier this week, a former British Council worker was captured by the regime and has not been seen since.

Last night Mr Baron, who chairs the British Council parliamentary group, demanded ‘greater urgency’, adding: ‘If 200 people and their families helped us then we need to reach out and help those 200. The time to put this right is now.’

Following the FCDO’s intervention, he added: ‘If it does intend to withdraw many of the minister’s assurances given to me in the debate, then it is highly unusual and extremely disappointing.’

Since 2015, the Daily Mail’s Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted the injustice of Afghans who risked their lives on the UK’s behalf being exposed to revenge attacks. Hundreds of former interpreters and others have come to Britain following concessions granted by the Government on eligibility criteria.

The Foreign Office were compelled to correct the record and clarify that no contractors have been granted clearance. Pictured: Afghan refugees arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece after fleeing the country in November 2021

The British Council workers are among the last eligible Afghans to have their cases considered.

One of them, Ahmad, said: ‘I might die. I was beaten by the Taliban and need three weeks of hospital treatment. I was attacked for working for the British. I don’t have the paperwork to come to the UK and I can’t get it.. I’m stuck here with my family, and it is terrifying.’ There is an estimated backlog of 66,000 Afghans seeking to come to Britain. The evacuations are also being slowed down by a shortage of housing – UK officials will grant sanctuary only after accommodation in this country has been arranged.

Government minister Leo Docherty said: ‘We are making progress. We are trying – in terms of communication and administrative support – to ensure they can start that journey of resettlement.’

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