Rayner urges Johnson rethink aid cuts to Afghanistan in light of withdrawal

Labour’s Angela Rayner has warned that “we simply cannot wash our hands or walk away” from Afghanistan as Western troops withdraw and urged Boris Johnson to rethink recent aid spending cuts to the country.

Addressing parliament after a statement from the Prime Minister on the withdrawal this afternoon, on behalf of Keir Starmer, Rayner warned that the situation in the country is “more concerning than at any other point in many years”.

“That must not take away from the many positives our engagement has brought to Afghanistan and the real differences our services and development sector have made in a country that has suffered so much,” she told MPs this afternoon.

“We have supported improvement in security, in governance, in economic development and as the PM said in advancing the rights of women and education for girls. Yet these gains have not been secured.

“The Taliban are making gains on the ground and serious questions remain about the future stability of Afghanistan. A security threat remains for the wider world, including to the UK. And nobody wants to see British troops permanently stationed in Afghanistan, but we simply cannot wash our hands or walk away.”

The UK government confirmed in April that it would begin to “drawdown” the number of troops in Afghanistan from May, along with other NATO allies, after the US administration said that it would withdraw all of its forces by September 11th.

The hurried departure of the remaining Western forces this month has prompted fears of a Taliban takeover. The group fought its way into a key western Afghan city on Wednesday and accepted the surrender of senior security officials.

Labour’s deputy leader asked the Prime Minister to tell MPs whether “he argued for or against the withdrawal of the US government and in NATO and what other steps he proposed”.

“Our British troops made enormous sacrifice and we believe, as a nation, we have a responsibility to our veterans. Can the Prime Minister really tell them that our work as a nation in Afghanistan is done?” she asked.

“On their behalf, Mr Speak, I ask the Prime Minister what plans are now in place to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a failed state and a breeding ground for those that wish to oppress their own citizens and threaten ours and what additional threat does our country now face?”

The last UK combat personnel left the country in 2014, but around 750 remained as part of a NATO mission to train Afghan forces. At the height of the war, NATO had more than 130,000 troops in Afghanistan, 9,500 of whom were from the UK.

Rayner asked what diplomatic plans are in place to support the country, and asked whether Johnson’s government has engaged with that of Pakistan in relation to its role following the withdrawal of Western forces.

She highlighted that Afghanistan is “one of the poorest countries in the world” and criticised recent aid cuts: “Our aid funding to that country has been cut by more than £100m. He referred to, today, the UK funded a project of 6,000 women that has already been cancelled.

“When he visited Kabul as Foreign Secretary he said that girls education was our crowning achievement. Can the Prime Minister tell the House what impact his cuts to the aid budget will have on programmes there and will he not rethink those cuts?”

Johnson told MPs that the UK will continue to fund education in Afghanistan and will increase the contribution to the global partnership for education.

“Building and maintaining the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan, protecting women and girls and in turn protecting our own nation should always be our priority,” Rayner said today. “To honour the legacy of those that have served, and the lives that were lost, let’s make sure Prime Minister that we get this right.”

A Tory rebellion had been expected to take place last month over the planned international aid budget cut but was postponed after the amendment was not selected. The Speaker did suggest that there should be a binding vote on the matter.

The Times reported earlier this week that the Prime Minister is now “actively considering” plans to allow MPs to vote on the £4bn cuts to the overseas aid budget, announced by his government last year, before the parliamentary summer recess.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis is among 50 Conservative rebel MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, who are planning to vote against the proposal to cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7% of gross domestic product to 0.5%.

Chair of the foreign affairs committee and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat challenged the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan today, saying: “If persistence isn’t persistent, if endurance doesn’t endure, how can people trust us as an ally?”

Johnson insisted that “we are not walking away”, adding: “We are keeping our embassy in Kabul, and we will continue to work with our friends and allies, particularly with the government of Pakistan, to try to bring a settlement.”

More than 450 British troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001. 2,312 US military personnel have died and 20,066 have been wounded. Estimates for the number of civilians killed in the conflict range from between 35,000 and 50,000.

Labour MP Zarah Sultana criticised the UK’s intervention in both Afghanistan and Iraq, telling MPs that the UK “destabilised a whole region”. She highlighted that the Taliban are now set to regain power in the Afghanistan.

“Does the Prime Minister agree that these catastrophic wars, Afghanistan and Iraq, show the need for a new foreign policy – one that is based on restrain and diplomacy, not military aggression,” the Labour backbencher said.

Below is the full contribution from Rayner this afternoon.

Firstly, let me give apologies on behalf of the leader of the opposition, who is on a long-planned visit to meet political leaders in Northern Ireland.

Mr Speaker, this is a profound moment for more than 150,000 UK personnel who have served in Afghanistan during the last 20 years, including my honourable friends the members for Barnsley Central and Norwich South, among others in this House. My own brother too served in the British Army during this period, so I know how it feels to say goodbye to a loved one before a tour of duty. Thankfully, I do not know how it feels to not see your loved one come home again, and the pain that those families have gone through is unimaginable.

Hundreds of young British men and women lost their lives in the service of our country. Many more were wounded or injured and still suffer the physical and emotional scars. They have shown extraordinary bravery, skill and courage. So today, Mr Speaker, to everyone who served in Afghanistan, and to all that loved and supported them: we say thank you. There have been moments of huge difficulty in the last two decades. And the situation on the ground in Afghanistan today is more concerning than at any point in many years.

That must not take away from the many positives our engagement has brought to Afghanistan and the real difference our services and development sector have made in a country that has suffered so much. We have supported improvements: in security, in governance, in economic development and in advancing the rights of women and education for girls. Yet these gains have not been secured.

The Taliban are making gains on the ground. Serious questions remain about the future stability of Afghanistan. A security threat remains to the wider world including the UK. Nobody wants to see British troops permanently stationed in Afghanistan. We simply cannot wash our hands or walk away; it is hard to see a future without bloodier conflict and wider Taliban control.

Already, they are on the brink of gaining control of provincial capitals. Afghan security forces risk being overwhelmed. This spells jeopardy for the Afghan people, particularly for Afghan women and girls, who in a just world would have the same rights as women everywhere deserve. In the words of the Prime Minister himself, this is a situation “fraught with risk”. Can he tell us if he argued for or against the withdrawal with the US Government and in NATO, and what other steps he proposed?

British troops made enormous sacrifices. We believe that as a nation we have a responsibility to our veterans. Can the Prime Minister really tell them that our work as a nation in Afghanistan is done? That their efforts will not have been in vain? On their behalf, Mr Speaker, I ask the Prime Minister: What plans are now in place to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a failed state and a breeding ground for those that wish to oppress their own citizens and threaten ours? What additional threat does our country now face? What diplomatic plans will be in place in the region to support the peace process? Is the UK government engaging with the government of Pakistan about its role? Will the UK Embassy in Kabul remain? And how will UK staff there be kept safe?

Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet our aid funding to that country is to be cut by more than the hundred million pounds he referred to today. One UK-funded project for 6,000 women has already been cancelled. When he visited Kabul as Foreign Secretary, he said that girl’s education was our “crowning achievement” in Afghanistan. So can the Prime Minister tell the House what impact his cuts will have on programmes there, and will he not think again?

Mr Speaker, we all want to see the end of UK military operations in Afghanistan. But if we leave without putting a plan in place to ensure Afghanistan does not go back to the conflict and violence of the past then we will have failed those who have given so much over the last 20 years. Building and maintaining the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan, protecting women and girls and in turn protecting our own nation should always be our priority. To honour the legacy of those that served and the lives that were lost, let’s make sure Prime Minister that we get this right. Thank you.