Boris Johnson says it is “rhubarb” animals were prioritised – after emails suggest he intervened.
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Boris Johnson has rejected claims that he authorised the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul last year.
It comes after emails from officials published by MPs suggested the prime minister intervened in the evacuation of the animal charity Nowzad.
But Mr Johnson denied this, and added that the idea animals were prioritised over people was “total rhubarb”.
Earlier, Labour said his story was “not credible” and accused him of lying.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Johnson insisted he was “incredibly proud” of the British military evacuation effort, and people were “always prioritised”.
On Wednesday, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published several emails as part of its inquiry into the evacuation of people from Kabul.
About 15,000 people were airlifted out of the Afghan capital last August, as the Taliban took control after the withdrawal of Western forces.
Among these were Pen Farthing, an ex-Royal Marine who runs the Nowzad animal charity, and 150 animals, on a chartered plane paid for by donations.
The UK government sponsored clearance for it, leading to a row over whether animals had been prioritised over people during the rescue effort.
Image source, Reuters
One of the emails published on Wednesday shows an unnamed official in Foreign Office Minister Zac Goldsmith’s office writing to colleagues working on the evacuation.
The official wrote: “[animal charity – name redacted] are a [details redacted] animal charity operating in Kabul and seeking to evacuation their [details redacted] members of staff (no animals).”
“Equivalent charity Nowzad, run by an ex-Royal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated, [animal charity – name redacted] are hoping to be treated in the same capacity.”
Another email from an unnamed Foreign Office official, sent on the same day, also referenced Nowzad in a request for clearance for another charity.
The official wrote: “In light of the PM’s decision earlier today to evacuate the staff of the Nowzad animal charity, the [animal charity – name redacted] (another animal rights NGO) is asking for agreement to the entry of [details redacted] staff, all Afghan nationals”.
In a written statement to the committee, Mr Farthing said no UK government “capacity” had been used to transport the animals.
On Thursday, the PM’s spokesman said he played “no role in authorizing individual evacuations from Afghanistan, including Nowzad staff and animals”.
The spokesman added: “It’s not uncommon in Whitehall for decisions to interpreted or portrayed as coming directly from the prime minster even when that’s not the case.
“It’s our understanding that’s what happened in this instance”.