Boris Johnson had 'zero role' in Afghan animal airlift, claims Foreign Office minister

Boris Johnson had “zero role” in the airlift of animals out of Afghanistan, a Foreign Office minister has insisted, branding the idea “absurd”.

Speaking in Parliament, Tory frontbencher Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park said he would have been “appalled” if the Prime Minister “had been involved in such minutiae”.

Acknowledging there was “confusion” with correspondence indicating Mr Johnson had directly approved the evacuation of cats and dogs with the Nowzad charity from Kabul, the Conservative peer pointed out it had been “a particularly complicated time”.

The PM has dismissed claims he personally intervened in the case as “total rhubarb”.

The case has sparked accusations that animals had been prioritised over people, with thousands trying to flee the Taliban left behind.

But answering a question at Westminster on the controversy, Lord Goldsmith insisted this had not been the case.

He told peers: “People not animals were the priority during the Kabul evacuation.”

Practical support for a donation-funded private charter flight, organised by Nowzad founder Paul “Pen” Farthing to get his staff and animals out, had been authorised by the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said Lord Goldsmith.

He added: “This flight occurred after the civilian evacuation had come to an end.

“It is worth just saying that 15,000 vulnerable people were evacuated from Kabul.”

He went on: “The Prime Minister had zero role in authorising individual evacuations from Afghanistan.

“Pen Farthing was on one of the very last flights to leave Afghanistan.

“He left on his own charter plane rather than on an RAF flight.

“It was not part of the evacuation and the flight took place after the evacuation effort had ceased.

“Animals were never prioritised over people at any point during the process.”

The minister also sought to explain correspondence that appeared to contradict the PM’s denials that he had ever intervened.

Emails shared with the Foreign Affairs Committee show an official in Lord Goldsmith’s private office telling colleagues on August 25 that “the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated”.

Lord Goldsmith said: “I don’t deny that there is some confusion.

“It’s not uncommon in Whitehall, as anyone who has been a minister, for decisions to be interpreted or portrayed as coming directly from one department or another or even the Prime Minister, even when that isn’t he case.

“But in this instance, it is not relevant, because the decision was made publicly and directly by the Secretary of State (for Defence) as he’s made clear.”

He added: “I can’t tell you why the confusion arose other than the fact it was a particularly complicated time.”

But he insisted: “At no point did the Government as a whole receive any kind of authorisation on this issue one way or the other, from the Prime Minister, who had no involvement at all.

“The idea that the Prime Minister should be engaged in issues around the welfare of a handful of animals when we’re engaging as a Government in the biggest evacuation this country has ever been involved in is just absurd.

“I would be appalled if the Prime Minister had been involved in such minutiae.”

Hailing the evacuation effort, he said: “I think we can salute our armed forces and those officials who worked incredibly hard to pull off this extraordinary feat.”

Former Navy chief and Labour peer Lord West of Spithead reminded the minister that Dunkirk had been the “largest evacuation in our history”.

In response, Lord Goldsmith said: “A very good point.”

Referring to the current furore surrounding the Prime Minister, Lord Goldsmith said: “In these frenzied days, in this feeding frenzy, small things can take on the perception of being very, very large things.

“I think in the cold light of day in the months to come and people look back at this question… we might wonder whether we have lost a sense of proportion.”