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Downing Street has slapped down claims that the prime minister intervened to rescue dogs during the evacuation of Afghanistan.
It comes after a whistleblower alleged that soldiers were put at risk to facilitate the evacuation of animals from the Nowzad shelter after a request from Boris Johnson.
Former Foreign Office official Raphael Marshall claimed there was “an instruction from the prime minister to use considerable capacity to transport Nowzad’s animals”.
However, No10 hit back today saying “at no point” did the PM intervene and the allegation was “entirely untrue”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman added: “At no point did the prime minister intervene.
“We’ve always prioritised people over animals, as we’ve said both during and subsequently.”
Pressed on whether the PM directly intervened to assist shelter boss Pen Farthing and his staff leave the country, he replied: “No, he didn’t instruct officials to take any particular course of action on that issue.”
The spokesman insisted Johnson’s focus was on saving and evacuating “as many people as possible”.
“That was the instruction that he gave to the whole of government,” he added.
Asked on Sky News about the claims, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab also said: “That’s just not accurate. We did not put the welfare of animals above individuals.”
Source: Huff Post
