[1andrew1]

Does the Mail have a point?

Dominic Raab was 'too busy' on holiday to help brave translators: As Kabul airport descends into hellish anarchy, damning admission over Foreign Secretary's missed call

Senior officials in the Foreign Secretary's department advised last Friday that he should make immediate contact with Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar as the Taliban advanced on Kabul.

The officials said Mr Raab, who was on a luxury break with his family in Crete, needed to urgently request assistance in rescuing interpreters who had worked for the British military. They said it was important the call was made by him rather than a junior minister.

But Mr Raab did not make the call. Officials were told he was unavailable and that Lord Goldsmith, the Foreign Office minister on duty, should speak to Mr Atmar instead.

The Foreign Office said last night: 'The Foreign Secretary was engaged on a range of other calls and this one was delegated to another minister.'

However, the Afghan foreign ministry refused to set up an immediate call between Mr Atmar and a junior minister who was not his direct counterpart. As a result, they did not speak until at least the next day, with crucial time lost before the Taliban seized control of Kabul on Sunday.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...anslators.html