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Generals call for resettling interpreters in Britain
July 29, 2021
LONDON: Leading former generals have warned “time is of the utmost essence” to help Afghans who served alongside British forces to settle in the UK.
More than 40 former military commanders have signed an open letter calling for efforts to resettle Afghan interpreters in the UK to be stepped up in the face of a “resurgent Taliban”.
Those who have signed the letter include leading former military commanders Lord Dannatt, Lord Boyce and Lord Houghton. Former national security adviser Lord Ricketts is also a signatory, as is Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer, a former defence minister who also served in Helmand Province. The letter reads: “We remain gravely concerned about the situation faced by our former interpreters and the supporting staff who stood shoulder to shoulder with us on the battlefield, despite recent initiatives from the Government.”
In May, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced plans to accelerate the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, launched earlier this year, saying it was. 28.07.2021, Sputnik International
Let more Afghan interpreters resettle in UK, say ex-military chiefs
By Jonathan Beale
image copyrightGetty Images
Dozens of former military commanders have called on the government to allow more Afghans who worked for British forces to resettle in the UK.
Ministers have recently expanded the UK s relocation scheme for Afghans.
But in a letter to the PM, the group said they were gravely concerned about hundreds of interpreters who have had their applications rejected.
The MoD said it had already supported more than 2,200 former Afghan staff and their families to resettle in the UK.
Those who have signed the letter include four former chiefs of the defence staff, Lord Boyce, Lord Stirrup, Lord Richards and Lord Houghton; two former heads of the British Army, Sir Peter Wall and Lord Dannatt; Lord Ricketts, the former national security advisor, and former Defence Minister Johnny Mercer, who served as a soldier in Helmand.
Raab’s mobile number has been online for years
June 30, 2021
LONDON: Fresh questions for the security services have been raised after it emerged Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s private mobile number has been available online for a number of years.
The discovery came weeks after it was revealed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s phone number was freely available on the internet for more than a decade. The Foreign Office said on Tuesday Mr Raab’s number and other private information was swiftly removed once the department was made aware of the oversight.
The Guardian, which first reported the number’s availability after being notified by a reader, said it appeared to have been online since before he became an MP in 2010. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Private information was wrongly retained online, before the Foreign Secretary’s appointment.