Rushanara Ali MP made the following statement on the situation in Afghanistan: 

"The dire situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and my thoughts are with the Afghan people. The rushed US and UK withdrawal from Afghanistan has been a catastrophic miscalculation. The military’s capacity and public support of the Afghan government has clearly been overestimated.

The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating for weeks. I remain deeply concerned about the lack of leadership and silence from the UK government on this issue.

The UK Government and other global leaders must agree a coordinated humanitarian response, which upholds the human rights of Afghans, in particular, women and girls.

The Government must ensure that all UK nationals and eligible Afghans, including those who served alongside our troops, are evacuated safely; that open and safe routes are provided for refugees into the UK, and that immediate and unconditional amnesty is given to Afghan asylum seekers already in the UK."