Exempt Afghans who served in British forces from Rwanda plan, says military

Three years ago this month, the Government launched the Afghan Relocations and Assistance (ARAP) scheme to offer sanctuary to Afghans who had worked for or with the UK Government, including our armed forces. During our time in Afghanistan, the UK was clear that those supporting British efforts overseas would receive some level of protection. But when our troops left, many faced the possibility of brutal Taliban reprisals.

This pledge couldn’t have been clearer than in August 2021, when then-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and then-Home Secretary Priti Patel wrote: “If you looked out for us, we will look after you.”

In reality, the Government’s treatment of Afghans since before the fall of Kabul to today has been a shameful saga of failure. Ministers have failed to deal with the backlog of ARAP applications, left Afghans fearing for their safety, oversaw data breaches and unbelievably told ARAP applicants to get the Taliban to verify their documents

It’s no wonder they had to U-turn and look again at the applications of Afghan Special Forces.

In the years since the fall of Kabul, some Afghans felt they had no option but to make the treacherous journey to Britain themselves by whatever means possible. If the Government gets its way in the House of Commons next week, some of those individuals - who are eligible to be here - could find themselves on a plane to Rwanda, caught up in the Conservatives’ last-gasp gimmick to distract from their broken asylum system.

If the Government is serious about honouring the nation’s promise to those Afghans who served alongside our Forces, they must think again.

The Government has an opportunity to finally get something right by voting to exempt people who have fought and worked for Britain from removal to Rwanda. To remain true to the promises made to brave Afghans who endangered themselves to support Britain, Ministers must adopt this safeguard before passing their Bill.

A letter co-signed by a formidable line-up of former armed forces personnel and security experts, published today, makes clear how Britain’s duty to Afghans is felt most fiercely by the Armed Forces they served alongside. Ministers must heed their warning that a failure to protect these individuals would be a “dereliction of duty” and an “insult to our armed forces”.

Most people in Britain want an immigration system that is firm and fair - that honours our long and proud history of offering sanctuary to the most vulnerable fleeing conflict and persecution, but also rigorously enforces the rules and removes those with no right to be here. Under the Conservatives, we have neither of those things.

To distract from this dismal record, the Conservatives have resorted to headline-grabbing gimmicks like the failing Rwanda scheme, which is due to cost the British taxpayer over half a billion pounds despite not a single plane getting off the ground.

We know the Tories intend to get a few symbolic flights off to Rwanda ahead of the next General Election, hoping no one will notice the 99% of people left in the asylum system with nowhere to go. Ministers must ensure our Afghan allies are not part of this shambolic stunt, and live up to our nation’s promise.

Luke Pollard MP is Shadow Armed Forces Minister & Dan Jarvis MP is Shadow Security Minister