Inside Politics: Biden to decide on Afghan evacuation deadline and G7 leaders meet to discuss crisis

Will Joe Biden extend the US evacuation deadline? That is the question occupying the minds of many Afghanistan observers today as the G7 leaders meet to discuss the ongoing crisis. Not only will the president’s decision inform the British response, but it could well also determine the fates of some who are stuck in Kabul and desperately trying to flee the new regime. The stakes are incredibly high. Elsewhere, Labour is demanding an inquiry amid reports that the PM used taxpayer funds to pay for a plane to Hartlepool, and Extinction Rebellion took over parts of central London in another day of climate action.

Our chief political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for today:

The prime minister will chair a meeting of G7 leaders this afternoon, by video. The Nato and UN secretaries-general have also been invited. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, will launch the Return to School campaign before schools in England reopen from next week. The campaign aims to reassure parents, teachers and pupils that schools are safe. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, will publish the findings of a study of the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines on people who are immunosuppressed.

Coming up:

-Defence secretary Ben Wallace on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

- Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy on Times Radio Breakfast at 8.35am

DEADLINE LOOMS: All eyes turn to the G7 leaders’ meeting today as they discuss the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. After more chaotic scenes at Kabul airport Johnson chairs the virtual talks, scheduled for around 2.30 GMT, and is expected to ask US President Joe Biden to extend the 31 August deadline for withdrawing US troops – a date the Taliban’s leadership has described as a “red line”. Biden has previously said troops could remain beyond the deadline and reports overnight suggest he will make a decision within the next 24 hours. The G7 meeting is another big test for the PM on the international stage, where he is expected to urge other G7 countries to match the UK’s commitment on supporting refugees and aid – pledges that domestic critics have described as “woefully inadequate”. British officials have repeatedly said it is unlikely UK troops will remain without US support.

‘NO LIFE HERE’: One phrase used repeatedly by Johnson and other leaders since the crisis broke out – and a theme likely to feature at today’s meeting – is how to “protect the gains” made in Afghanistan over the past two decades. But is it already too late, and are we slowly witnessing those gains disintegrating before our eyes? With the 31 August deadline fast approaching, Afghans continue fleeing the new regime in droves in apparent fear for their lives, as Kim Sengupta, The Independent’s defence and security editor, vividly describes in another dispatch from Kabul airport. “I am too old, I don’t think I’ll be able to see Afghanistan again in my lifetime,” Safi Abdullah Hidaytullah, a 67-year-old retired academic, tells Kim. “I am sad about that, but I am glad that young people are getting away. They’ll have no life here with what is going to happen with the Taliban – they look to the past, not the future. That is their way.” The evacuation effort continues today although there are increasing fears that not everyone will make it out of Kabul.

SECURITY ALERT: In other Afghanistan updates, security checks detected six people who were deemed to pose a “direct threat” to the UK among would-be evacuees from Kabul. In a briefing call on Monday, MPs were told that the individuals who were on Britain’s “no-fly list” had attempted to leave Afghanistan with the help of the UK, Sky News reported. A Border Force official said that four of the people had been prevented from flying from Kabul, but two had successfully boarded planes. One was stopped in Frankfurt where he was blocked from continuing his journey, but his family was permitted to proceed to the UK. The other reached Birmingham airport, with the story splashing the Mail and Telegraph. UK officials have since said that, following an investigation, the person was not deemed a security threat.

HARTLEPOOL PLANE TRIP: Away from Afghanistan, sleaze allegations against the PM continue to pile up. This time Johnson is facing claims that he used taxpayers’ hard-earned cash to fund a private jet trip to Hartlepool during May’s by-election contest, when the Tories recorded a historic win over Labour. The ministerial code states that ministers “must not use government resources for Party political purposes”. But an official party spending return obtained by the Business Insider website recorded that the cost to the Conservatives of the prime minister’s travel was “nil”, suggesting that the cost of the flight was met from government funds.

CALLS FOR INQUIRY: Labour has pounced on the latest claims and Angela Rayner, deputy leader, has written to Johnson’s ethics adviser Christopher Geidt and cabinet secretary Simon Case. Using govnt resources for party political campaigning is a breach of the Ministerial Code. The Conservative Party – not the taxpayer – should pay for the plane. False election returns or the non-declaration of election spending is a criminal offence. Downing Street said: “All relevant costs have been correctly accounted for and appropriately proportioned. At all times government rules and electoral requirements have been followed in relation to ministerial visits.”

XR PROTEST: Extinction Rebellion are taking to the streets again and demanding that leaders “come to the table” to discuss the climate crisis. Activists took over parts of central London yesterday as the group kicked off its fifth mass protest in Trafalgar Square. Those attending came from all corners of the UK – and the world – united by one demand: that the UK government immediately stop investing in fossil fuels.

“It’s a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that. If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations - the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.”

Taliban spokesman Dr Suhail Shaheen on prospect of extension to evacuation deadline.

“No 10 spin machine whirring to fabricate a Johnson myth: * PM calls G7 virtual conference on Afghanistan for Tuesday. * PM asks Biden to be prepared to keep US troops at Kabul airport beyond 31 Aug. * Biden’s already said he’s prepared so repeats it. * Johnson claims credit.”

Daily Mirror associate editor Kevin Maguire on G7 meeting.

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