MPs reacted with fury yesterday after a defence minister said a policy which had not allowed a single Afghan interpreter to Britain was ‘fit for purpose’.
Under current rules, Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for UK troops on the frontline can only come to Britain if they were employed on an arbitrary date of 19 December 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.
Under current rules, Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for UK troops on the frontline can only come to Britain if they were employed on an arbitrary date of 19 December 2012 (file image of Lt. Col. David Flynn, left, with U.S. Army interpreter)
In a written statement published yesterday, Mark Lancaster admitted that not a single Afghan interpreter has been allowed to the UK 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.
‘However, the changing security position in Afghanistan is kept under careful review.’
This is despite the Daily Mail revealing how interpreters abandoned in the war-ravaged country have been repeatedly threatened and attacked by the Taliban.
Mr Lancaster pointed out that the first scheme – with a cut-off date of 2012 – has seen some 385 former staff and their families moved to the UK.
Last night politicians reacted with fury at the statement, describing the current policy in which interpreters are abandoned as ‘shameful’
Another 60 families expected to relocate over the next year or so.
He said: ‘It is the Government’s belief that our Ex-Gratia Redundancy Scheme and Intimidation Policy remain fit for purpose and properly meet our responsibilities to men and women who played such an important part in our efforts to bring peace and security to Afghanistan.’
Last night politicians reacted with fury at the statement, describing the current policy in which interpreters are abandoned 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 and intimidation today.
Paddy Ashdown said: ‘Failure to reassess this policy sends exactly the wrong message to our allies at a time when Afghanistan is less stable by the day’
‘It is hugely disappointing that the Government has refused to extend support packages to those who completed their duties between 2006 and 2011.
‘This arbitrary approach risks letting down those who put their lives on the line in support of our forces.
‘The Ministry of Defence should re-examine this short-sighted decision as a matter of urgency.’
Paddy Ashdown, former Lib Dem leader and ex-Royal Marine, said: ‘It is shameful that the government is sticking by its current policy, even though not a single interpreter who started after December 2012 has been relocated here.
‘Failure to reassess this policy sends exactly the wrong message to our allies at a time when Afghanistan is less stable by the day.
‘We owe these interpreters a debt of gratitude, but instead we are giving them empty platitudes.’
The Mail’s Betrayal of the Brave campaign for loyal interpreters to be given sanctuary in Britain from Taliban reprisals is supported by MPs, ex-military commanders and an 180,000-strong petition.