It was a stroke of luck Raab was on holiday as the Taliban took Afghanistan, or things could have been even worse
It’s getting to be something of a habit. Every morning a minister gets sent out to face the national media and every morning he or she crashes and burns. For much of the last week it’s been the No 10 party everyone but No 10 seems to know took place that’s been the problem. Tuesday’s disaster, though, was a welcome change for Boris Johnson. It was a disaster almost all of Dominic Raab’s own making.
In his newly demoted role of justice secretary, Raab had hoped to be talking about a new “get tough” prisons policy. Instead he was subjected to a stream of questions about his laissez-faire approach to helping Afghans escape to the UK while in charge of the Foreign Office after the release of Raphael Marshall’s whistleblowing report to the foreign affairs committee. Raab is on a short fuse at the best of times – just check out the unidentified bodies in the Thames – and you could sense the anger vein pulsing through the airwaves as Nick Robinson gave him the run around on Radio 4’s Today programme.
John Crace and Zoe Williams will be live on stage in London at a Guardian Live event on 13 December. Join the conversation online by booking tickets here.
A Farewell to Calm by John Crace (Guardian Faber, £9.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
