Emails suggesting PM gave green light

FIRST EMAIL

Sent: August 25, 2021, 12.20 From: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) official in private office of Lord Goldsmith

To: FCDO official serving as Special Cases team ‘Bronze’

Subject: Animal Charity for Evacuation from Kabul Hi [name redacted], We spoke – thank you for your time. [Animal charity] are a charity operating in Kabul and seeking to evacuate their [details redacted] members of staff (no animals).

Equivalent charity Nowzad, run by an exRoyal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated, [animal charity] are hoping to be treated in the same capacity.

SECOND EMAIL

Sent: August 25, 2021, 17.42 From: FCDO official serving as crisis ‘Silver’

To: FCDO official in Foreign Secretary’s private office

Subject: Evacuation – URGENT for FS [Foreign Secretary] views

Private Secretary,

I think I should now seek FS clearance of new cases for LOTR (leave outside the immigration rules). Needless to say, they are urgent.

In light of the PM’s decision earlier today to evacuate the staff of the Nowzad animal charity, the [charity] (another animal rights NGO) is asking for agreement to the entry of [details redacted] staff, all Afghan nationals.

BORIS JOHNSON TV INTERVIEW

December 7, 2021 Interviewer: ‘Did you intervene?’

Prime Minister: ‘No, that’s complete nonsense.’

NO10 BRIEFING December 7, 2021

Prime Minister’s spokesman: ‘It’s entirely untrue. At no point did the Prime Minister intervene. We have always prioritised people over animals, as we said, both during and subsequently.’