No. 10 advised Dominic Raab to return from vacation two days before his arrival in the UK.

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10 officials reportedly advised Dominic Raab to return from his vacation on August 13 as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated – but he stayed on for another two days after Boris Johnson agreed.

The allegation comes amid calls for the foreign minister to resign after he failed to place a call with his Afghan counterpart about evacuating interpreters while abroad on the Greek island of Crete.

A government official told the Sunday Times that Mr Raab was “asked to return” on Friday 13 August – the day the prime minister held his first emergency meeting with Cobra on the crisis in Afghanistan.

“Sunday there was a sense of disbelief among everyone at the top of the top at No. 10 that he wasn’t there,” the official added. “It looks like he set Boris on fire after he was asked to come back.”

But the foreign minister’s allies told the newspaper he would “begin the process of repatriation” and it was agreed with Prime Minister Raab that he would return on Sunday – the day the Afghan capital, Kabul, fell to Taliban insurgents. .

In response to the report, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford posted on social media: “This makes it impossible for Dominic Raab to remain in office.”

Shadow Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy, added: “It is astonishing that the Secretary of State found time to pick up the phone to pressure the Prime Minister to extend his leave, but refused to contact the Afghan government in the hours before the fall of Kabul and the Taliban.”

“No wonder the Prime Minister was unable to order others to return to Westminster when he chose to go on holiday himself while the Taliban were advancing in Kabul,” the Labor leader said.

The report came as an Observer poll by Opinium found that only 23 per cent approved of the job being done by the secretary of state – compared to 41 per cent who disapproved.

However, speaking Friday after an emergency cabinet meeting with Cobra, Johnson defied calls to fire Mr Raab, insisting he had “absolutely” confidence in the foreign secretary.

“I can tell you that the entire government is actually working around the clock, hitting the phones to do what we can to sort it out, to deal with the situation that has been so long in a pregnancy, and to make sure that as many people as possible are brought back,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Elsewhere, it also emerged that Lord Ahmed, the South Asian foreign minister whose responsibilities include Afghanistan, was on hold until Sunday – the day the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban.

According to Sky News, the conservative counterpart was in regular contact with the former foreign minister of Afghanistan, Hanif Atmar, as talks were underway in Doha, Qatar, with the Taliban.

However, a Foreign Office spokesperson insisted that Lord Ahmed was “working closely with the Secretary of State and the FCDO team during the response to events in Afghanistan, including engagement with international partners”.

The Independent has contacted 10 and the State Department for comment.

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