Labour demand Theresa May reveal when she gave Boris Johnson green light for Afghan trip
2 min read
Theresa May is under pressure to reveal when she gave Boris Johnson permission to miss a crucial vote on Heathrow to visit Afghanistan.
The Foreign Secretary's visit coincided with a House of Commons debate which saw MPs overwhelmingly back a third runway at the airport.
Mr Johnson has been a longstanding opponent of the project and once promised to “lie down in front of those bulldozers” if it went ahead.
Just days before the vote, the Prime Minister confirmed that her Cabinet colleague would miss it as he would be "the living embodiment of global Britain" at the time.
It later emerged that the Foreign Secretary had flown to Afghanistan for meetings with local officials, although he did make it back to Westminster the morning after the vote.
Critics accused him of arranging the foreign trip, which also took in the United Arab Emirates, specifically to dodge the Heathrow vote.
Labour MP Mark Tami tabled a series of questions demanding to know when the trip had been signed off and how much it cost.
In response, Foreign Office minister Mark Field said: "The Foreign Secretary visited Afghanistan on 25 June ahead of a National Security Council discussion.
"Following the recent ceasefires in Afghanistan, and with elections due later this year, this was a timely opportunity to take stock of progress and the UK’s supportive role in providing peace and stability to Afghanistan.
"The Foreign Secretary also visited the United Arab Emirates, meeting the Deputy Foreign Minister. The cost of the Foreign Secretary’s travel will be disclosed in the usual way and published as part of transparency data in accordance with Cabinet Office requirements. We do not discuss operational planning of any visits by the Foreign Secretary."
Mr Tami has now tabled another question asking the Prime Minister "on what date she approved the arrangements for superintending the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the absence of the Foreign Secretary due to his visit to Afghanistan".
The MP for Alyn and Deeside told PolticsHome: "When did the Prime Minister agree that taxpayers money could be spent on saving Boris from voting on Heathrow, with a job saving visit to Afghanistan? The public deserve full transparency."
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