Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has deleted a video in which he praised the Taliban for tackling opium and corruption, after expressing his regret and facing criticism from fellow MPs.
Fellow Conservative members condemned the House of Commons defence committee chairman for the “utterly bizarre” clip “lauding” the Taliban’s governance of Afghanistan.
Mr Ellwood removed the video from Twitter as the Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised him for his "positive" report, which was filmed in Helmand province.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that he would “look into” the video, which was filmed during a visit to the nation recaptured by the fundamentalists as the West removed its troops.
Mr Ellwood, a former defence minister who served in the army, conceded that the “video could be done better”.
“It’s important to put your hand up and acknowledge errors, however well intentioned," the MP for Bournemouth East told TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“I stand up, I speak my mind. I try and find solutions especially on the international stage, and I’m very, very sorry that my reflection of my visit could have been much better worded and has been taken out of context.”
“I’ll be very clear the last couple of days have probably been the most miserable as a Member of Parliament. I got it wrong."
Afghan women living under Taliban rule - in pictures
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Women wash freshly dyed silk in a factory in Herat province. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP -
Afghan women walk in a Kandahar market. Even if Afghan girls can receive an education, the likelihood they will be able to put it to any use is low. AFP -
An Afghan women weaves silk to make scarfs and other products inside a workshop in the Zandajan district of Herat province. Many Afghan girls fear the longer they stay away from school, the more pressure will build to conform to patriarchal standards and marry. AFP -
Burqa-clad women work in a shampoo factory in Kandahar. AFP -
Women make flatbread in a factory in Kandahar. AFP -
An Afghan woman begs as Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul. Amnesty International says the Taliban have breached women's and girls' rights to education, work and free movement since they took control of the government. EPA -
Afghan women take a selfie at a park in Kabul. The rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are increasing under Taliban rule, Amnesty International has said. EPA -
Afghan girls paint at a workshop class in Herat. The World Bank estimates that for each year of secondary education, the likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 decreases by five percentage points or more. AFP -
Afghan women protest in Kabul. The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by the Taliban’s crackdown on their human rights, Amnesty has said. AP -
An Afghan woman walks in a graveyard in Kabul. EPA -
Shgofe, an Afghan newscaster, presents a programme on private channel 1TV in Kabul. Female TV presenters and reporters in Afghanistan continue to appear with their faces covered to comply with a mandate issued by the Taliban. EPA -
An Afghan family walk past a market near the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul. AFP -
People at Wazir Akbar Khan Hill in Kabul. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP -
Women browse through garments and fabrics for sale in a stall at a women's handicraft market in Herat. AFP -
Brides wait for the start of a mass wedding in Kabul. Dozens of Afghan women, concealed in thick green shawls, were married off in an austere ceremony attended by hundreds of guests and gun-toting Taliban fighters. AFP
Mark Francois told the Commons that his colleague should be “very careful” in expressing his views if he wanted to remain as chair of the committee.
Mr Francois described the video as “utterly bizarre”, and said it was “lauding the Taliban’s management of the country”.
Committee members were describing it as a “wish-you-were-here video”, he said.
“I wish to make plain on behalf of the committee he was speaking for himself, even though he used the title of chairman of our committee in a number of associated articles. Not in our name," Mr Francois said.
Mr Ellwood has been urging the government to reopen the British embassy in Kabul so that progressive improvements for girls’ education can be encouraged “incrementally”.
In his video, he claimed that security in Afghanistan had “vastly improved” since the Taliban had returned to power, “corruption is down” and the opium trade has “all but disappeared”.
Mr Ellwood suggested western countries should “incrementally” encourage women’s rights by engaging with the new regime.
“After Nato’s dramatic departure, should the West now engage with the Taliban?" he asked.
"You quickly appreciate this war-weary nation is for the moment accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability."
