UK’s Boris Johnson did authorise animal evacuations from Kabul, emails suggest
- Johnson has denied involvement in the decision to help evacuate the cats and dogs of the Nowzad animal rescue charity run by former British soldier Paul ‘Pen’ Farthing
- In a government email, a foreign office official wrote: ‘Nowzad … has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated’
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson did authorise the evacuation of animals from Kabul during the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, a claim he has previously dismissed as “nonsense”, according to government emails released on Wednesday.
Johnson, whose premiership is under immense pressure over allegations of parties at his Downing Street office during Covid-19 lockdowns, has denied any involvement in the decision to help evacuate the cats and dogs of the Nowzad animal rescue charity run by former British soldier Paul “Pen” Farthing.
The pets were rescued amid the chaotic scramble last August to help British nationals and Afghans eligible for resettlement in Britain leave Kabul after it fell to the Taliban.
In an internal government email released by parliament’s foreign affairs committee, a foreign office official, whose name is redacted, wrote: “Nowzad, run by an ex-Royal Marine, has received a lot of publicity and the PM has just authorised their staff and animals to be evacuated …”
In another email discussing a different charity’s request for help, an official wrote: “In light of the PM’s decision earlier today to evacuate the staff of the Nowzad animal charity, the [redacted name] is asking for agreement to the entry of [details redacted] staff, all Afghan nationals.”
At the time, Johnson said he had no involvement in the evacuation of Farthing’s animals.
“No, that’s complete nonsense,” he said in December, when asked if he had intervened in the case.
