U.K. opposition leader: Lack of Western leadership led to Afghan fiasco
Keir Starmer addresses the audience during the Labour Party Leadership hustings at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham, England. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:41 PM PT – Monday, September 6, 2021
British opposition leader Keir Starmer denounced Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the chaotic pullout of U.K. troops from Afghanistan. Speaking in Parliament today, Starmer said Johnson underestimated the strength of the Taliban.
“We have a prime minister incapable of international leadership just when we needed it most,” he asserted. “I know it’s uncomfortable. ”
Starmer added the U.K. would have to admit thousands of Afghan refugees because of Downing Street being “complacent and wrong.” Meanwhile, conservative members of Parliament said Britain could replace the U.S. as the leader of the Western world.
“I ask the prime minister, would he agree there’s now a void of leadership in the West and NATO?” questioned Tobias Ellwood, Chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. “If Britain wants to fill that void, as we should do, it will require a complete overhaul of Whitehall to upgrade our strategic thinking, our foreign policy output and our ability to lead.”
History will tell the tale of Operation Pitting as one of immense bravery.
All those who contributed must be awarded medals for their bravery.
Their story is made even more remarkable by the fact that whilst they were saving lives our political leadership was missing in action. pic.twitter.com/5GwuPpkHx9
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 6, 2021
Meanwhile, members of Parliament from both major parties agreed the U.K. must ramp up its defenses in the face of terror threats from ISIS and the Taliban.