Not one Afghan interpreter allowed in under new rules

MPs reacted with fury yesterday after a defence minister said a policy which had not allowed a single Afghan interpreter to come to Britain was ‘fit for purpose’.

Under current rules, Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for UK troops can come to Britain only if they were employees on an arbitrary date of December 19, 2012.

Those several hundred who were not serving on that date can apply to the UK under a second so-called intimidation scheme where they have to prove they are at risk.

In a written statement yesterday, Mark Lancaster admitted that not a single Afghan interpreter had been allowed in under the second scheme. He said: ‘The level of intimidation faced has not so far been such that an individual has had to be relocated to the UK in order to ensure their safety.’

This is despite the Mail revealing how interpreters abandoned in the war-ravaged country have been repeatedly threatened and attacked by the Taliban.

Mr Lancaster said the first scheme – with a cut-off date of 2012 – has resulted in 385 former staff and their families moving to the UK. Another 60 families are expected to relocate over the next year or so.

Politicians described the policy as ‘shameful’. shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said: ‘Afghan citizens who worked with British forces as interpreters or drivers put themselves in extreme danger and many continue to face threats today.

‘It is hugely disappointing that the Government has refused to extend support packages to those who completed their duties between 2006 and 2011.’

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown said: ‘It is shameful that the Government is sticking by its current policy.’