The Conservative chair of the defence choose committee is going through a no confidence vote over a tweet which appeared to reward the progress of Afghanistan below Taliban rule.
Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East and a former soldier, deleted the tweet on Wednesday evening after telling TalkTV: “I obtained it incorrect”.
Within the extensively criticised video, Mr Ellwood urged the UK to re-engage with the nation and reopen its embassy. He mentioned safety in Afghanistan had “vastly improved” because the Taliban returned to energy, and urged the West encourage the uptake of girls’s rights “incrementally”.
“After Nato’s dramatic departure, ought to the West now interact with the Taliban? You shortly respect this war-weary nation is for the second accepting a extra authoritarian management in alternate for stability”, he mentioned.
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He added that there was “a peaceful to the nation that native elders say they’ve not skilled because the Seventies”.
Since retaking energy in 2021, the Taliban have restricted many Afghans’ rights.
The video, which the Taliban welcomed, got here as a part of a go to to Afghanistan with the Halo Belief, a de-mining organisation.
A variety of Conservative MPs, together with Mr Ellwood’s colleagues on the defence committee have criticised the remarks.
Mark Francois raised the difficulty at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
“I and a few of my colleagues on the Defence Committee had been completely shocked to see a video posted by our personal chairman lauding the Taliban’s governance of Afghanistan, not mentioning they’re nonetheless making an attempt to determine and kill Afghan civilians who sided with Nato forces, and in addition not mentioning the very fact they don’t like women to go to high school,” he informed the home.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak mentioned he would look into Mr Ellwood’s go to.
Though there could also be no approach of ousting Mr Ellwood as defence committee chair earlier than the summer time recess, MPs are mentioned to be as a substitute planning to maneuver when the Home returns in September.
The Instances experiences that MPs are transferring to desk a vote of no confidence in Mr Ellwood on account of the video.
Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, who served three excursions in Afghanistan with the military, mentioned his mates had been “murdered by the Taliban”.
“I’m clear, as is the federal government, the autumn of Afghanistan to the Taliban was a tragedy of epic human proportions”, he informed MPs on Tuesday. “I fought the Taliban myself. The Taliban murdered my mates. It’s clear the Taliban represents a critical risk to human rights and the remedy of girls”.
Nevertheless, Mr Ellwood did obtain some backing. Fellow Conservative MP Bob Seely, who served in Afghanistan, informed MailOnline: “Tobias is being courageous, clever and credible to make this argument and to go to Afghanistan.
“I thank him for doing so. Simply because it’s painful to listen to, it doesn’t imply it’s not true and not less than it’s an vital opinion that must be heard”.
