Tobias Ellwood in fight to stay on as Defence Committee chairman over ‘Taliban tourism’ video

MPs on the committee tabled a vote of 'no confidence' in Mr Ellwood before the summer recess after his comments about Afghanistan were published online.

The MPs’ motion - which states simply "the committee has no confidence in its chairman" - can only be voted on after a certain number of sitting days elapsed. This period expires on Thursday this week.

The motion is likely to succeed if two of the Conservative members of the committee support it, GB News understands, as Opposition MPs are largely expected to back it.

Mr Ellwood has been defence select committee chairman in the Commons since January 2020. He receives over £16,000 a year for the role.

MPs on the committee have told GB News they want to give Mr Ellwood an opportunity to defend himself.

One source told GB News that Mr Ellwood will be asked "to explain his comments".

The source said his colleagues were growing tired of Mr Ellwood's remarks as chairman of the committee.

The insider added: "The 'Taliban tourism' video was the last straw. People are getting fed up with it."

Mr Ellwood declined to comment when approached by GB News.

In July Mr Ellwood apologised for posting the video in which he said corruption in Afghanistan was falling and security had improved.

​He praised the appearance of solar panels in Afghanistan and noted that the country's opium trade had "all but disappeared".

Mr Ellwood later said: "It's important to put your hand up and acknowledge errors, however well-intentioned.

"I stand up, I speak my mind. I try and find solutions, especially on the international stage, and I'm very, very sorry that my reflection of my visit could have been much better worded and have been taken out of context."

No10 said at the time that the views expressed in the now-deleted video were "not an assessment that the UK nor the Prime Minister agrees with at all".