Ben Wallace has defended Dominic Raab following reports he was "too busy" on holiday to speak with the Afghan foreign minister as the Taliban closed in on Kabul - but Labour say his position as foreign secretary should now hang in the balance.
The defence secretary told Kay Burley that "one phone call is not the reason we are where we are" in terms of the current situation in Afghanistan and said he has had "no problem" in dealing with the foreign secretary while he was abroad.
But Labour's Lisa Nandy said Mr Raab should be "ashamed" of his conduct, adding: "The prime minister has serious questions to answer over why he remains in the job."
Mr Raab has been accused of failing to ask Hanif Atmar for urgent assistance in evacuating Afghan interpreters who had worked for UK military personnel during the 20-year conflict in the country.
The Daily Mail reported that the foreign secretary was on holiday when senior officials advised he should speak with Mr Atmar as the Taliban headed for Kabul, the Afghan capital.
It was important the call was made by Mr Raab, rather than a junior minister, the officials had said.
But they were told Mr Raab was unavailable and that Lord Goldsmith, the Foreign Office minister on duty, could speak to Mr Atmar instead.
But Mr Wallace told Sky News Mr Raab "has managed to do all his calls when he needed to".
"I, like you, have read the front of the newspaper today and I have absolutely no idea about what my foreign secretary or anyone else's secretary's call sheet is like," the defence secretary told Sky News.
"What I do know is that at no stage in the last few weeks have I had a problem with the foreign secretary or anyone else in that department in making sure we should process, get people through.
"The facts are changing rapidly on the ground and, as he said yesterday in Parliament, he has managed to do all his calls when he needed to, his COBRA calls etcetera."
Pressed again on the matter, Mr Wallace added: "One phone call is not the reason we are where we are at the moment - and I don't even know if that phone call did or didn't happen because all they have is a media speculative front page about it."
He continued: "He has taken my calls. As I have said earlier, I have had no problem in dealing with the foreign secretary or the foreign office throughout this process.
"We have leaned in and we have dealt with the issues as they were presented."
On Wednesday, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: "The foreign secretary was engaged on a range of other calls and this one was delegated to another minister."
Mr Raab reportedly did not speak with his Afghan counterpart until at least the next day, after the Afghan foreign ministry refused to set up a call with the more junior UK minister.
This meant crucial time was lost before the Taliban took control of Kabul on Sunday, prompting a desperate scramble to evacuate thousands of Britons and the interpreters that is still ongoing.
Labour has suggested Mr Raab's position as foreign secretary should now hang in the balance.
"What could possibly have been more important than safeguarding the legacy of two decades of sacrifice and hard-won victories in Afghanistan?" shadow foreign secretary Ms Nandy said in a statement.
"While the foreign secretary lay on a sun lounger, the Taliban advanced on Kabul and 20 years of progress was allowed to unravel in a matter of hours.
"The foreign secretary should be ashamed and the prime minister has serious questions to answer over why he remains in the job."
And shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds accused Mr Raab of a "dereliction of duty" on Wednesday.
He added: "Failing to make a call has put the lives of brave interpreters at risk, after they served so bravely with our military. Utterly shameful."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to have been in Somerset as the Taliban marched towards Kabul, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised both him and Mr Raab, saying: "You cannot co-ordinate an international response from the beach."
In a post on social media on Thursday, he added: "Who wouldn't make a phone call if they were told it could save somebody's life?"
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihAFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9yYWFiLXdhcy10b28tYnVzeS1vbi1ob2xpZGF5LXRvLXNwZWFrLXdpdGgtYWZnaGFuLWZvcmVpZ24tbWluaXN0ZXItYXMtdGFsaWJhbi1jbG9zZWQtaW4tb24ta2FidWwtMTIzODQ5MjfSAYgBaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3JhYWItd2FzLXRvby1idXN5LW9uLWhvbGlkYXktdG8tc3BlYWstd2l0aC1hZmdoYW4tZm9yZWlnbi1taW5pc3Rlci1hcy10YWxpYmFuLWNsb3NlZC1pbi1vbi1rYWJ1bC0xMjM4NDkyNw?oc=5
2021-08-19 07:18:45Z
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