Boris Johnson warned 'not a moment to lose' in securing safety of those in Afghanistan UK 'made commitment to'

A young boy pulls a suitcase as refugees arrive from Afghanistan at Heathrow Airport, London (PA/Dominic Lipinski)

However, one Yorkshire MP and veteran has said the Government should have been doing so “months ago” ahead of the crisis.

Dan Jarvis warned the Government “there is not a moment to lose” in securing the safety of those the UK “has made a commitment to”.

Speaking from Downing Street on Friday evening, Boris Johnson told reporters: “As we come down to the final hours of the operation there will sadly be people who haven’t got through, people who might qualify.”

He assured them that help will continue going forward and added: “What I would say to them is that we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out, we will do whatever we can in the second phase.”

Mr Jarvis, an Afghanistan veteran now serving as MP for Barnsley Central and South Yorkshire Mayor called on the Prime Minister to “make every effort”

He told The Yorkshire Post: “The PM could and should have been shifting heaven and earth months ago to avert the catastrophe that we see unfolding in Afghanistan.

“He recently visited the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and would do well to take heed of their motto: Serve to Lead. He must now make every effort to secure the safety of those who haven’t yet been evacuated, but I fear that for many, it will be too late.

“Although the immediate priority must be to continue to secure the safety of those we have made a commitment to, the PM also needs to mobilise the international community to avert the impending humanitarian catastrophe, as well as working to ensure that Afghanistan doesn’t again become a safe haven for terrorist groups. There is not a moment to lose.”

In his comments on Friday evening, the Prime Minister also repeated his warning to the Taliban that if any new government in Afghanistan wanted to have engagement with the West, they must allow people who wish to leave the country to do so: “There will be people who are eligible, whether they’re UK nationals who have chosen not to come forward yet, or people who were interpreters and others who haven’t been able to get to come forward to Hamid Karzai International Airport so far,” he said.

“And what I say to them, is that we will shift heaven and earth to get you out, and we will use all the leverage that we have with the Taliban to make sure that they understand it.”