Fears for families who have been left behind

Dozens of demonstrators gathered at Parliament Square to protest over how the government has handled supporting citizens in Afghanistan after the Taliban launched a takeover of the country.

The protesters, who were former translators for the British Army, held banners and signs up in front of Parliament as MPs returned to the House of Commons after it was recalled.

Signs they held included images of people gravely injured in Afghanistan, with the caption “Protect our loved ones”.

One former interpreter, who only gave his name as Rafi, told the PA news agency: “Today we are representing all those employees of the British Government in Afghanistan who have served the British forces.

“Today, their lives are at a very high risk, them and their families, and our families, they need protection and safety.

“The Taliban will butcher every single one of them if they are left behind.

“The Afghan nation feels betrayed and let down. They deserved better.

“The Americans took the rug from under our feet and left the nation with no protection, no safety and under the control of the same terrorists that we started fighting 20 years ago.”

Dozens more people joined the Afghan translators in Parliament Square in the afternoon, leading to a crowd of around 200 people.

A small scuffle broke out between one of the protesters and a member of the public who began chastising them for protesting at the same time as Gurkhas.

No one was arrested during the incident and no one was injured.