TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Dominic Raab reveals he’s flying to Afghanistan region TONIGHT after grilling from MPs about the crisis
RATTLED Dominic Raab is flying to Asia tonight - after he launched an aggressive defence of his handling of the Afghanistan crisis.
The Foreign Secretary's handling of one of Britain's biggest overseas crises in modern times came under the microscope in Parliament this afternoon.
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He is on the ropes for a series of blunders - with colleagues privately calling him "Minister Meathead" because he's destined for the chop.
But the defiant Foreign Sec came out swinging and insisted he never considered resigning amid furious accusations he was asleep at the wheel .
Showing he's getting on with the job, the Foreign Sec revealed he was leaving straight after the two-hour session to fly to Asia.
He said: "We're always very careful about signalling travel movements because of the security implications.
"But I can tell you I'm leaving after this committee to go to the region."
He did not disclose where in Asia he'll be visiting, but it could include Qatar where British officials have been based.
During a fiery session:
- Afghan guards at the British embassy in Kabul were among those left behind, Mr Raab said
- He was adamant he ordered a portrait of The Queen at the embassy to be destroyed so the Taliban wouldn't get it
- Mr Raab said the central assessment of the UK Government was that Kabul was "unlikely" to fall in 2021
- He estimated the amount of Brits left in Afghanistan was "in the mid to low hundreds"
- He was pressed about his luxury holiday to Crete but refused to reveal any more details, branding probes a "fishing expedition"
- Mr Raab said he never considered quitting during the crisis
Gunning members of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee quizzed the Cabinet big beast on efforts to rescue Afghans left behind and future engagement with the Taliban.
They also probed the Foreign Sec over what preparations he personally made before the West withdrew from the country after 20 years of conflict.
MISSION NOT COMPLETE
Ministers have repeatedly vowed to rescue those Brits and Afghans who missed out on evacuation flights.
Mr Raab said Brits still stuck were "in the mid to low hundreds" but couldn't give a "definitive answer" for eligible Afghans.
Asked to confirm Boris Johnson's assertion that the "overwhelming majority" were airlifted , he said: "I'm not confident with precision to be able to give you a set number, but I am confident that the Prime Minister is right, that we've got the overwhelming number out."
This morning the Foreign Office announced that 15 diplomats will be deployed to Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to help process eligible refugees.
EMBASSY SHAMBLES
Mr Raab revealed he ordered a portrait of The Queen hanging at the British embassy in Kabul to be destroyed before diplomats deserted.
The Foreign Secretary told MPs he didn't want to hand Taliban thugs a "propaganda coup".
But he seemed shocked to hear there ARE pics of the militants posing with the precious painting.
The Foreign Sec insisted: "I talked through with the team the policy for destroying not just documents but anything relating to HMG.
"It's not clear to me whether that came from outside or inside the embassy.
"Clearly we were conscious of the attempted propaganda coup around the Taliban taking over embassies and what have you."
Diplomats abandoned their outpost in the Afghan capital as the Taliban seized the city.
Their frantic retreat meant sensitive documents with details of vulnerable Afghans were strewn around the building for the Taliban to find.
Mr Raab said the blunder was "regrettable" and reflected the pressures on officials.
Mr Raab also admitted that some Afghan guards at the British embassy were among those left behind.
He said: "We wanted to get some of those embassy guards through but the buses arranged to collect them, to take them to airport, were not given permission to enter."
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Committee chair Tom Tugendhat - who has torn strips off the Government in recent weeks - told Mr Raab the crisis is the worst since Suez.
MPs on the committee retured to Westminster from their summer holidays for an emergency meeting.
They summoned embattled Mr Raab last week as military planes scrambled to airlift Brits and desperate Afghans out of Kabul.
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CHARGE SHEET
Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has presented her Tory opposite number with a lengthy charge sheet of 10 "failings".
It includes uncomfortable questions about Mr Raab's holiday to Crete while Kabul fell - although the Foreign Sec has repeatedly said he was busy coordinating the evacuation.
After the session she said: "This was a staggeringly poor showing from a Foreign Secretary who is completely out of his depth."
The string of raps have put Mr Raab - Boris Johnson's most senior minister - on reshuffle watch.
One Tory MP told The Sun: "We have started calling him Minister Meathead. Everyone thinks he is for the chop."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The beleaguered Cabinet Minister yesterday slammed critics briefing against him, furiously accusing them of "buck passing".
The PM’s official spokesman said: "There are no plans for any reshuffle. The Prime Minister has full confidence in his Foreign Secretary."
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GMB's Sean Fletcher accuses Dominic Raab of 'passing the buck' in furious clash