>[6.16pm](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/dec/07/dominic-raab-foreign-office-kabul-politics-covid-coronavirus-live-latest-updates?page=with:block-61afa0208f08cfef2cf60e01#block-61afa0208f08cfef2cf60e01): Leaked letter suggests FCDO covering up PM’s involvement in dog airlift from Kabul, MP claims
>
>In the foreign affairs committee, as the session was drawing to an end, Chris Bryant (Lab) said that he had just been sent a copy of a letter that Trudy Harrison MP, the parliamentary private secretary to Boris Johnson, sent to Paul “Pen” Farthing about the evactuation of his animals from Kabul. It was sent on 25 August, Bryant said. He said Harrison was writing as PPS to the PM, and she said:
>
>>**”***Dear Paul,*
>>
>>*I’m writing to inform you that I have received confirmation from the FCDO, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence that you, your staff and their dependents are permitted to travel to Hamad Karzai international airport.*
>
>Bryant said: “Feels very much like a direction from the prime minister to me, I have to say.”
>
>He went on to read more from Harrison’s letter.
>
>>**”***The secretary of state has made it clear that all 68 persons will be provided a flight by the Royal Air Force as part of the evacuation programme. The secretary of state has also confirmed that animals under the care of Nowzad can be evacuated on a separate chartered flight. The Minister of Defence will ensure that a flight is available.*
>
>Bryant said this did not equate with what the officials said earlier in the hearing, when they denied any knowledge of No 10 being involved in allowing the animals to be evacuated.
>
Sir Philip Barton, head of the Foreign Office, told Bryant he was not aware of this. He said they had not set out to mislead the MPs.
>
>Bryant said the letter implied that “the prime minister’s fingers are all over this”. He went on: “And you are just – I’m hesitant to use the words cover up, but that what it feels like.”
>
>There was silence for a short moment, before Barton said again: “I wasn’t aware of the letter.”
>
>Bryant replied:
>
>>**”***Again, it feels like nobody’s ever aware of anything, anything could happen at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the senior management, really, are a bit absent.*
>
>Barton did not reply.
>
>-
>
>>Noa Hoffman (@hoffman_noa)
>>
>>At the foreign affairs committee hearing on the Afghan crisis an excruciating exchange has taken place between Chris Bryant, Philip Barton & Lawrie Bristow on how involved the PM was in the decision to facilitate the evacuation of Pen Farthing and his pets pic.twitter.com/6h6Q4KcZfM
>>
>>[December 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/hoffman_noa/status/1468280226660630530)
Wasn’t it something Carrie was very passionate about? I suspect Johnson stepped in on her behalf, as well as to score point with the dog-loving public we supposedly are.
Oh wait so all the people pointing out how these animals would indeed displace resources for humans were right. Shocked.
It would be nice if the Tories could stick to one career ending scandal a day. It’s getting pretty hard to keep up.
I briefly worked with Trudy and she’s thick as pigshit.
5 comments
>[6.16pm](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/dec/07/dominic-raab-foreign-office-kabul-politics-covid-coronavirus-live-latest-updates?page=with:block-61afa0208f08cfef2cf60e01#block-61afa0208f08cfef2cf60e01): Leaked letter suggests FCDO covering up PM’s involvement in dog airlift from Kabul, MP claims
>
>In the foreign affairs committee, as the session was drawing to an end, Chris Bryant (Lab) said that he had just been sent a copy of a letter that Trudy Harrison MP, the parliamentary private secretary to Boris Johnson, sent to Paul “Pen” Farthing about the evactuation of his animals from Kabul. It was sent on 25 August, Bryant said. He said Harrison was writing as PPS to the PM, and she said:
>
>>**”***Dear Paul,*
>>
>>*I’m writing to inform you that I have received confirmation from the FCDO, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence that you, your staff and their dependents are permitted to travel to Hamad Karzai international airport.*
>
>Bryant said: “Feels very much like a direction from the prime minister to me, I have to say.”
>
>He went on to read more from Harrison’s letter.
>
>>**”***The secretary of state has made it clear that all 68 persons will be provided a flight by the Royal Air Force as part of the evacuation programme. The secretary of state has also confirmed that animals under the care of Nowzad can be evacuated on a separate chartered flight. The Minister of Defence will ensure that a flight is available.*
>
>Bryant said this did not equate with what the officials said earlier in the hearing, when they denied any knowledge of No 10 being involved in allowing the animals to be evacuated.
>
Sir Philip Barton, head of the Foreign Office, told Bryant he was not aware of this. He said they had not set out to mislead the MPs.
>
>Bryant said the letter implied that “the prime minister’s fingers are all over this”. He went on: “And you are just – I’m hesitant to use the words cover up, but that what it feels like.”
>
>There was silence for a short moment, before Barton said again: “I wasn’t aware of the letter.”
>
>Bryant replied:
>
>>**”***Again, it feels like nobody’s ever aware of anything, anything could happen at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the senior management, really, are a bit absent.*
>
>Barton did not reply.
>
>-
>
>>Noa Hoffman (@hoffman_noa)
>>
>>At the foreign affairs committee hearing on the Afghan crisis an excruciating exchange has taken place between Chris Bryant, Philip Barton & Lawrie Bristow on how involved the PM was in the decision to facilitate the evacuation of Pen Farthing and his pets pic.twitter.com/6h6Q4KcZfM
>>
>>[December 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/hoffman_noa/status/1468280226660630530)
Wasn’t it something Carrie was very passionate about? I suspect Johnson stepped in on her behalf, as well as to score point with the dog-loving public we supposedly are.
Oh wait so all the people pointing out how these animals would indeed displace resources for humans were right. Shocked.
It would be nice if the Tories could stick to one career ending scandal a day. It’s getting pretty hard to keep up.
I briefly worked with Trudy and she’s thick as pigshit.