How the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan precipitated a political one at the heart of UK government
On Thursday last week, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, had tried to sound composed as he announced a small number of British troops were heading out to Afghanistan. Six hundred were being sent to Kabul, he explained, to help Britons and their support staff return to the UK in an orderly manner.
His calmness belied a panic that was already sweeping Whitehall, as ministers and officials watched in horror at the Taliban’s capture of provincial capitals. Wallace, at least, gave the impression of wanting to take charge when other, more senior members of the cabinet were less visible – and in Dominic Raab’s case, invisible.
