Dominic Raab criticised for laughing during emergency Afghanistan debate

Foreign secretary is already under fire for holidaying in Greece as Kabul fell to the Taliban

Dominic Raab has been criticised for his “heartless” behaviour after he was spotted laughing and smiling as the government faced anger from MPs about the UK’s failure to prepare for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The foreign secretary was seated beside Boris Johnson during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, as the prime minister denied that the UK “did not foresee” the events that had unfolded in Afghanistan in recent days.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said it had been a “disastrous week, an unfolding tragedy” and that the PM’s judgment had been “appalling” and “unforgivable”.

Turning to Mr Raab, he continued: ”the foreign secretary shakes his head – I wouldn’t have stayed on holiday” as “the mission in Afghanistan was disintegrating”, adding: ”You cannot coordinate an international response from the beach.”

Mr Raab had been spotted sunning himself at a five-star resort in Crete as the news emerged that Kabul had been taken over by the Taliban on Sunday, according to The Telegraph. Reports suggest he only left the Greek island that evening, despite Taliban forces storming the Afghan capital earlier the same day.

The foreign secretary appeared to be laughing along with other Conservative MPs on a few occasions during the debate. Journalist Tim Walker shared a screengrab and video of the foreign secretary on Twitter, writing: “What the hell is this bloody man laughing about in the #Afghanistan debate?”

Social media users described Mr Raab’s attitude as “shameful” and “heartless” while Scottish National Party Westminster leader Ian Blackford also criticised Mr Raab’s demeanour in the Commons.

“When the rest of us were doing what we can over the last few days, the foreign secretary was lying on a sun bed. People are facing the worst situation imaginable and you have a foreign secretary that is sitting, laughing.”

It comes as the Taliban senior leadership, including the group’s co-leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, have reportedly landed back in Afghanistan and are expected to arrive in the capital Kabul later on Wednesday or Thursday.