Dominic Raab made an extraordinary claim about the consequence of the UK and the US creating a power vacuum in Afghanistan.
He was pictured on beach, in Cyprus, as the Taliban rolled into Kabul. Alright for some.
Remember when Dominic Raab said “hadn’t quite understood” how reliant UK trade in goods is on the Dover-Calais crossing. We try no to either.
It comes Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, has warned ministers that the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan could produce a “ricochet effect” and creates new threats against the West.
Ministers are drawing up a package of measures to persuade the Taliban to protect the UK’s security interests.
“We will use all the levers that we’ve got, whether it’s economic tools, sanctions, the diplomatic leverage,” Mr Raab told Sky News.
“I think we’re going to have to be pragmatic as the UK policy has always been.
“We’re going to need to be able to send clear messages, and our message is going to be this: Afghanistan must never be used to launch terrorist attacks against the West.”
Didn’t see it coming
Here is Raab saying he had no clue that the Taliban would seize power so easily.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says “no one saw this coming, we would have taken action if we had” regarding Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) August 17, 2021
Unintentionally comic moment on Sky News.
— Alan Gibbons (@mygibbo) August 17, 2021
Kay Burley to Dominic Raab: “Can we talk about the intelligence?”
Dominic Raab: “You know I don’t talk about intelligence.”
The UK Ambassador to Afghanistan stayed behind in Kabul to personally process visas for Afghans while Dominic Raab sat on a beach in Cyprus.
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) August 16, 2021
Reactions
A lot people did see this coming, who are not the foreign secretary, and slammed Raab.
1.
BREAKING – Dominic Raab has been injured leaving Downing St in a series of accidents that he says "no one could have seen coming" pic.twitter.com/wlirMya1G2
— HappyToast ★ (@IamHappyToast) August 17, 2021
2.
Dominic Raab: "I didn't think the Taliban were real" https://t.co/IDmQ2CSLaR
— Catherine Kelliher (@kitty_kelliher) August 17, 2021
3.
Raab Syndrome: when you incorrectly assume that your own staggering ignorance is typical. https://t.co/Hz8UTfuhEJ
— Alastair Horne (@pressfuturist) August 17, 2021
4.
We have faxed Mr Raab a 'guide to the future' of things we can see coming that should cover the next 12 months for now
— The Kentish Border (of Kent) 2306 (@BorderKent) August 17, 2021
We have run out of toner as a consequence#visionary https://t.co/HdgdLiVM4i
5.
"It's all very well people on the left saying they saw this coming for nearly twenty years and spending those twenty years warning about this but the truth is they didn't and neither did anyone else I am very smart" https://t.co/57Cb0y9yps
— Sooz Kempner (@SoozUK) August 17, 2021
6.
"no one saw this coming, we would have taken action if we had"
— davidallengreen (@davidallengreen) August 17, 2021
A summary of British government and policy, from (at least) 2016 onwards https://t.co/FbZXylxwon
7.
I think Dominic Raab is confusing “no one” with “Dominic Raab”. https://t.co/deqH2IjmZx
— Michael Spicer (@MrMichaelSpicer) August 17, 2021
8.
"No one saw this coming. Of course we’d have taken action if we had."
— Michael Moran (@TheMichaelMoran) August 17, 2021
…define “no-one” in this context, Dominic. Because I’m fairly sure everyone who was paying attention knew exactly what would happen.
9.
Dominic Raab says “no one saw this coming” pic.twitter.com/OqsIU3gQNa
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) August 17, 2021
10.
Dominic Raab is so perpetually surprised by things that he wakes up every morning surprised to have hands and feet pic.twitter.com/B0nggzybkw
— Mic Wright (@brokenbottleboy) August 16, 2021
But we have left the best to last. Susie Dent, nails it in the way only she can.
Word of the day is ‘imprescience’ (19th century): a total lack of foresight and foreknowledge.
— Susie Dent ? (@susie_dent) August 17, 2021
Related: ‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban