BORIS Johnson’s top aide enjoyed a day at the cricket as the Taliban were sweeping to power in Afghanistan, it has been reported.
Dan Rosenfield, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, was at the first day of a test match between England and India at Lord's on August 12, just three days before the Taliban stormed Kabul.
The senior official attended another cricket match, the Hundred final at Lord’s, on August 21 – one of the final days of the chaotic evacuation from the Aghan capital.
The revelations, reported by the Sunday Telegraph, has been described by a former Tory minister as “an extraordinary reflection of the work ethic and commitment of No 10 staff”.
The UK Government’s handling of the Taliban takeover has been widely condemned and mired in scandal. Last week the Prime Minister came under fresh scrutiny over his personal role in assisting an animal charity’s evacuation of cats and dogs from Kabul as thousands of people wanting to flee the Taliban were left behind.
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Despite published leaked correspondence suggesting then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab and No 10 were involved in the decision, Johnson dismissed reports as “total rhubarb”.
Raab also came under fire for being on holiday in Cyprus during the critical phase of the crisis.
The reports about Rosenfield have intensified speculation that he could potentially be a fall guy for the Prime Minister in the face of multiple scandals, with some Tory MPs reportedly complaining that he lacks the necessary political nous for the position.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis, who has publicly called for the Prime Minister to resign over the partygate scandal, told the Telegraph: “It is an extraordinary reflection of the work ethic and commitment of No 10 staff that a senior member of that staff is taking days off when Afghanistan is falling and No 10 demanding that ministers return from holiday.”
A No 10 source told the paper: “Dan was in constant contact with the office, working long days and weekends throughout the period which saw the fall of Kabul and subsequent safe evacuation of 15,000 people in Operation Pitting.”
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