Dominic Raab hits back in war of words with Ben Wallace after the Defence Secretary said he knew the 'game was up' in Afghanistan in July as the Foreign Secretary says 'we were all working to the same set of assumptions'

Dominic Raab today hit back at Ben Wallace as he dismissed the Defence Secretary's claim that he had warned in July the 'game is up' in Afghanistan amid an escalating Cabinet row.  

The Foreign Secretary said that 'Ben and I were taking the same assessment throughout until very late' and 'we were all working to the same set of assumptions'.

Mr Raab yesterday pointed the finger at intelligence failings after he said the UK's central assessment was it was 'unlikely' Kabul would fall to the Taliban this year. 

He said the main planning scenario of a slow deterioration in the country had remained in place 'until late'. 

But Mr Wallace rejected the suggestion that intelligence had failed and said he had argued in July that 'whatever we think, the game is up' and the UK should 'accelerate whatever we're doing'.  

His comments came after Mr Raab was confronted with his own department's 'principal risk report', dated July 22, three weeks before Kabul fell, which had warned 'rapid Taliban advances... could lead to fall of cities' and the group's swift return to power.  

Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, ambushed Mr Raab with the document, piling pressure on the Cabinet minister because it suggested he had been warned about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan two weeks before he went on a family holiday to Crete. 

But the Foreign Office later claimed the document simply set out 'potential risks' and it was 'simply wrong and misleading' to suggest it was at odds with the Government's central assessment. 

It came as Mr Raab arrived in Qatar in the early hours of this morning for talks with the country's emir and foreign minister about what can be done to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan for British allies who were left behind in the country following the US and UK withdrawal. 

Dominic Raab arrived in Doha, Qatar, in the early hours of this morning as he stepped up efforts to help British allies left behind in Afghanistan

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has claimed he warned in July that the 'game is up' in Afghanistan amid a worsening war of words with the Foreign Secretary 

Mr Raab yesterday pointed the finger at intelligence failings after he said the UK's central assessment was it was 'unlikely' Kabul would fall to the Taliban this year

UK's ex-ambassador to Afghanistan savages Foreign Office over diplomatic efforts

Britain's former representative in Kabul today warned the UK is 'playing catch up' on diplomatic efforts in the region around Afghanistan. 

Sir Nick Kay, the ex-UK ambassador to Afghanistan, said the diplomatic 'wheels' are now 'turning rapidly' following the Taliban takeover. 

But he suggested Britain had been slow off the mark in speaking to third countries as ministers and officials now scramble to help people escape Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and UK forces.  

Sir Nick told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I think the important thing is now that the wheels are clearly turning and turning rapidly and it is good that the Foreign Secretary is out and engaging face to face with these countries in the region. 

'There isn't, obviously, any time to lose at all and to some extent we are, yes, playing catch up.' 

Mr Wallace told The Spectator magazine that it was clear by July that the Afghan forces trained by the West would melt away once US troops withdrew.

He said: 'It was a bit of a shock when Herat fell. Some of these big places had historically been resistant to the Taliban. 

'When they fell, literally without a fight... I remember back in July arguing that whatever we think, the game is up and we have to do what we can to accelerate whatever we're doing.'

In comments which appeared to be directed at Mr Raab, he said: 'I've already seen some lines about the failure of intelligence.

'History shows us that it's not about failure of intelligence, it's about the limits of intelligence.

'When the Soviet Union crumbled, when Libya collapsed, when the actual moment came in Afghanistan, intelligence hadn't failed. It was just limited, as it always is at the very end.'

Mr Raab responded to the remarks today, telling broadcasters: 'Ben and I were taking the same assessment throughout until very late.

'The central assessment had been that Kabul wouldn't fall until after the end of August and the evacuation of allied troops, and indeed there would be a steady deterioration throughout the remaining part of the year, so we were all working to the same set of assumptions.' 

Mr Wallace's remarks were in contrast to the picture painted by Mr Raab when he gave evidence to MPs yesterday. 

Mr Tugendhat confronted Mr Raab with the Foreign Office report and said: ' read on Afghanistan 'peace talks have stalled and US/NATO withdrawal is resulting in rapid Taliban advances, this could lead to fall of cities, collapse of security forces, Taliban return to power, mass displacement and significant humanitarian need, the embassy may need to close if security deteriorates'.

'This was on the 22nd of July. How did your actions change after that report?'

Mr Raab said he was 'very mindful of that' and added: 'The central assessment remained until late that the deterioration would be incremental and the planning for military withdrawal obviously began in April. 

'But the contingency planning was also there for a more rapid deterioration.'  

The Foreign Secretary said the UK's central assessment was that Kabul was 'unlikely' to fall to the Taliban in 2021. 

He told MPs: 'The central assessment that we were operating to, and it was certainly backed up by the JIC (Joint Intelligence Committee) and the military, is that the most likely, the central proposition, was that given the troop withdrawal by the end of August, you'd see a steady deterioration from that point and it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year.'

The Principal Risk Register is classed as an 'official-sensitive' document and is not publicly available. 

The Foreign Office said the document 'does not contain intelligence assessments'. 

A spokeswoman said: 'It is an internal document which sets out potential risks to the organisation for planning purposes including around duty of care to staff.

'It is simply wrong and misleading to suggest this document is in any way at odds with our detailed assessments of the situation in Afghanistan or our public position throughout the crisis.' 

Labour has called for an end to the 'unseemly infighting at the top of Government'. 

Shadow security minister Conor McGinn said: 'While British nationals and Afghans who helped us are fighting for their lives, the Cabinet are more interested in fighting for their jobs.'

The row over why the UK was caught out by the speed of the Taliban takeover came as Mr Wallace said he does not believe Britain is a 'superpower'. 

Mr Raab's visit to Qatar came as he continued to face criticism over his handling of the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan

The UK completed its withdrawal from Kabul at the weekend with the US mission coming to a close earlier this week

He also risked a diplomatic spat with Washington after he also appeared to question the status of the US.   

He told The Spectator: 'It is obvious that Britain is not a superpower. But a superpower that is also not prepared to stick at something isn't probably a superpower either. It is certainly not a global force, it's just a big power.'

His comments will be seen as a swipe at the US after its decision to abandon its military effort in Afghanistan.

But defence sources denied this, saying he was making a wider point about the need for the West to stand up to adversaries prepared to stick to '100-year plans'.

A source said Mr Wallace was clear that the US 'is a superpower'.