‘We’ve only got hours to get it right’

THE Government has condemned Afghans to death by “dragging its feet” over getting them out to safety before the Taliban takeover, Labour has said.

Lisa Nandy called on ministers to urgently set up “safe and legal routes” including processing visa applications outside the war-torn country for vulnerable Afghans. She told the Mirror: “We’ve got hours, not days, to get that right.

“The alternative is that many people who supported us for two decades will be left in Afghanistan and they and their families will be killed.”

The Shadow Foreign Secretary urged the Government to use its international leverage to agree immediate humanitarian assistance for the war-torn country.

“We’re not a superpower but we’re not powerless,” she said.

She claimed the delay in helping vulnerable Afghans was a “shameful moment” for the British government that had left millions feeling “betrayed”.

She contrasted it with the courage of the British diplomats staying in Kabul to help speed up applications, charity workers and the UK military.