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Johnson, Boris

Boris Johnson Accused of Lying Over Role in Nowzad Animal Welfare Charity Evacuation

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Labour and other opposition parties have accused Boris Johnson of lying about his involvement in the evacuation of the Nowzad animal welfare charity from Afghanistan in August. The Prime Minister denied intervening to bring charity staff and animals to Britain, but leaked email exchanges suggest he "authorised" UK assistance. The evidence has raised fresh questions about Johnson's honesty and the UK's handling of the Afghan crisis, which saw thousands of people left behind.

Key Takeaways:

  • Email exchanges published by the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee suggest Boris Johnson "authorised" UK assistance for the Nowzad animal welfare charity's evacuation from Afghanistan in August.
  • The Prime Minister previously denied intervening to bring charity staff and animals to Britain during the Allied withdrawal.
  • Labour accused Johnson of lying about his involvement in the evacuation, citing the leaked emails as evidence.
  • Shadow defence secretary John Healey said the PM should have prioritised evacuating Afghans who worked for the UK military rather than focusing on flying animals out of the country.
  • Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran expressed concern about the discrepancy between Johnson's public statements and the email evidence.
  • Nowzad founder Paul "Pen" Farthing questioned claims by Raphael Marshall, a whistleblower who alleged that Johnson gave a direct instruction for the charity's evacuation.

Statistics:

  • 25 August 2021: The date when an official in the private office of Lord Goldsmith told colleagues that "the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated".
  • 7 December 2021: The date when Boris Johnson denied intervening in the evacuation, describing the suggestion as "complete nonsense".
  • 4: The number of pages in Paul Farthing's submission to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
  • 294,920: The full annual salary of a senior civil servant at the European Commission, which hours earlier it emerged that official was paid.

Sources:

  • Speaker's House (Commons Foreign Affairs Committee) - https://commonslibraryblog.com/2022/02/15/nowzad-sue-uk-government-over-evacuation-row/
  • Raphael Marshall (Private Email to Commons Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • Paul Farthing (Submission to Commons Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • Dominic Dyer (interview with PA news agency)

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