At last the government heeds our call to give asylum to an Afghan war hero. But he is not alone, and we will not stop campaigning

Editorial: A government that professes respect for the military should be falling over itself to honour Afghans who risked their lives alongside our troops – and now the campaign must continue for his family, and for the thousands more left behind

Welcome as this belated decision is, it is only the first breakthrough in a long campaign (The Independent )

The decision by the Home Office to grant asylum to the Afghan war hero who fought the Taliban alongside British troops is a triumph for the pilot himself and his family, for all the military and political leaders who urged the government to do the right thing – and for the United Kingdom. This is, after all, a compassionate country that stands by its moral obligations to people who have served with our armed forces abroad.

But it is quite simply a disgrace that it has taken so long to get here. The government dragged its heels, telling us that it would be impossible; that the pilot was ineligible for the relocation scheme; that there was insufficient evidence that he had worked with British forces. The prime minister refused to respond to a direct appeal from the pilot in a letter that we sent to Downing Street. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, blustered and obfuscated.