Britain promised them a warm welcome. We lied

Editorial: Hundreds of Afghans approved for relocation to the UK under a Ministry of Defence scheme remain in a perilous limbo, with some in jail in neighbouring Pakistan as their temporary visas have run out. When will you act, Prime Minister?

In recent months, only a handful of the Afghans offered refuge by the UK for their part in helping British forces have been brought to safety (The Independent)

When the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) was announced by Boris Johnson two years ago, he declared: “This country has been extremely generous – more generous than most countries around the world – not just in bringing people immediately from Afghanistan, but in setting out a safe and legal route for 20,000 more to come.

“That is a big number – and the route for those people is clear.”

Such promises fell easily from the lips of ministers in 2021, in the aftermath of the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul. But “Operation Warm Welcome”, the name given to our “generous” efforts, now has an unpleasantly bitter and satirical edge to it.