https://arab.news/yqcwk
- According to email, Boris Johnson gave personal authorization despite his vehement denial
- PM accused of prioritizing pets over Afghans who had worked for British govt聽
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson personally authorized the evacuation of 173 dogs and cats from Afghanistan, according to an email released on Wednesday.
On Dec. 7, Johnson claimed that it was 鈥渃omplete nonsense鈥� that he had intervened to have the animals evacuated, and that he had 鈥渘o influence on that particular case,鈥� adding: 鈥淣or would that be right.鈥�
Zac Goldsmith, a minister and member of the House of Lords, told parliamentary colleagues that Johnson鈥檚 statement was 鈥渆ntirely accurate,鈥� which this email now contradicts.
The email was sent on Aug. 25 last year by an official at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office during the evacuation from Kabul.
Addressed to the department鈥檚 鈥渟pecial cases鈥� team, the official wrote: 鈥淭he PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated.鈥�
The government and Johnson have come under fire from MPs and a Foreign Office whistleblower for allegedly reallocating military and governmental resources from rescuing Afghans to recovering pets.
The founder of the Nowzad charity, former Royal Marine Pen Farthing, denies the claims. The charity chartered its own plane and put the animals in the hold, freeing up space for people, but civil servants and MPs said their presence meant that limited military resources were redirected to protect the convoy of animals.
In December, former Foreign Office worker Raphael Marshall told MPs that the department had received 鈥渁n instruction from the prime minister鈥� to use 鈥渃onsiderable capacity鈥� to help Farthing.
During the airlift, Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chairman and Afghanistan veteran Tom Tugendhat criticized the decision to airlift the animals.
But Farthing told the BBC: 鈥淎t no time did any British soldiers leave Kabul airport to get me in, I鈥檓 dumbfounded that he鈥檚 said this to Parliament.
鈥淎s a charity, how many times do we have to tell people the truth? He said the government transported our animals. We left Kabul on a privately chartered flight, there was no government involvement.鈥�