Prime Minister denies doing thing he did – again!
Boris Johnson has categorically denied reports he authorised the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul, despite a leaked email published by a select committee proving he did.
And he did so rather spectacularly, calling the claims “total rhubarb”.
On Wednesday, a whistleblower working in the Foreign Office revealed correspondence that suggested the Prime Minister personally sanctioned the rescue of pets during the final days of evacuations.
This served as confirmation the government controversially prioritised the safety of animals over people, an allegation Johnson on Thursday dismissed as “total rhubarb”.
The email, sent in August 2021, shows a message to another official in the Foreign Office which read: “Charity Nowzad, run by an ex-Royal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated.”
Johnson is sticking to the same denial he issued back in December 2021, when he categorically denied intervening with the Charity, run by ex-marine Pen Farthing and described reports as “total nonsense”.
Following publication of the leaked e-mail, it was understood his previous denials had been proven false.
On Thursday afternoon, during a trip to North Wales, Johnson stood by his original claim that he had not intervened in the pet evacuation.
"This whole thing is total rhubarb."
Boris Johnson says he 'absolutely did not' personally approve the airlift of animals out of Afghanistan.
He adds the military always "prioritised human beings."
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Speaking to Sky News he said: “This whole thing is total Rhubarb. I was very proud of what our armed services did with Operation Pitting and it was an amazing thing to move 15,000 people out of Afghanistan in the way we did”
Contrary to the leaked email, Johnson said: “the military always prioritised human beings, and that was quite right”.
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