Priti Patel reflects on Afghanistan crisis

Richard Bacon and Charlotte Hawkins today spoke with Home Secretary MP Priti Patel on the current Afghanistan crisis and the government’s pledge to home refugees.

Of the current situation, Priti Patel said:

“Our work as a government right now is absolutely focused on giving support and trying to save lives right now in Afghanistan when you look at what we’ve announced not just today, but the work that we’ve been doing now for a number of months with people of Afghan nationality to bring them out of Afghanistan and to give them the right to live in the UK but also to settle here. That work is underway. And today we have announced a new bespoke route because it’s too dangerous for people to come to the UK or to any country through any illegal migration means, we want to create safe and legal routes and that’s what this Border’s Bill does.”

When asked about the 6,000 Brits and support staff still out in Afghanistan and if she can guarantee they will get out safely, Priti Patel said, “We’ve been working night and day on this. I do want to pay tribute to everyone who’s an operational partner on the ground, because this is challenging. The pictures are harrowing. But do not forget we have put people in – so 900 troops, home office staff, we have border force people providing support to do exactly that, to get people out. It’s not easy, none of this is easy…

“All I can say right now is that we are flat out working night and day doing everything we can. It’s a devastating situation…but it’s our absolute priority to do that. We are averaging around a 1,000 people a day, we are continuing to do that…it is a military operation. I can give your viewers the reassurance that we are doing everything we possibly can, but we just don’t know [if we can guarantee everyone’s safe return] …things could change very quickly. We hope they don’t…”

On the refugee pledge, Priti Patel said, “This isn’t about 20,000 in several years to come, we will do everything we can, but I do also want to emphasise that we have to have the ability, the infrastructure and capacity to give them the support to rebuild their lives here. 

“This isn’t just one department, this is a whole government effort. We have to put in welfare provision, we have to put in housing provision, we have to put in employment provision, language provision… all sorts. We know with 5,000 we can absolutely resettle them and be able to start a good life, a new life in the UK and we want to drive the right outcomes of these people.”

She went on to say, “We should put this into context, over the last 20 years your viewers will know, Afghanistan was overridden with the likes of Al Qaeda, terrorist organisations, drug issues… all these issues manifesting threat to us domestically in our own homeland and security. We have had huge support tackling those issues which have created the environment to allow women and girls to have access to safety and security and education… so our immediate response right now is to do the right thing by those people whose lives are at risk. We cannot do this on our own, we have to work with our colleagues, it’s a humanitarian crisis.”

Of the view that things are going ‘back the way it was’ and ‘what was it all for’, Priti stated, “I think we should remember for the last 20 years the peace and stability that has been brought to the region and the fact that we’ve been able to protect our own country from many of those terrorist threats… history has shown a great deal of the work and effort that has taken place. It does not mean that this was all for nothing. There is a great deal of work taking place for regional security. We are never complacent and of course our homeland security is absolute paramount.”

Good Morning Britain weekdays from 6am on ITV and ITV Hub