United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who was criticized for being on vacation during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, has been reassigned to the Justice Department, and effectively demoted, in a massive Cabinet reshuffle.
The Wednesday demotion was unsurprising to those who had criticized Raab’s leadership during the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Britain struggled to airlift citizens and allies during the chaotic withdrawal, for which Raab received most of the blame due to being on a family vacation in Crete.
Liz Truss, formerly the international trade secretary, has replaced Raab as foreign secretary, according to the BBC.
‘CLEAR FOR MANY MONTHS’: BORIS JOHNSON BLAMES BIDEN FOR PREDICTABLE TALIBAN TAKEOVER
Raab has been reassigned to the lower position of justice secretary and has also been given the largely honorific roles of lord chancellor and deputy prime minister. Unlike the United States’s vice president, the deputy prime minister carries no right to succession in the event the prime minister cannot continue in his or her position.
— Politics For All (@PoliticsForAlI) September 15, 2021
Critics alleged that thousands of emails to Raab’s office from people trying to escape Afghanistan remained unread while he relaxed on the beach. The office denied accusations and said that Raab stayed in the loop from abroad.
“The foreign secretary had 18 months to prepare but was missing in action. As a result, on his watch, Britain has become weaker in the world and faces greater risks from terrorism,” Lisa Nandy, a member of the opposition, told the Guardian.
Dominic Raab has now officially been in his cabinet reshuffle meeting with Johnson for more minutes than he spent arranging the safety of British citizens in the weeks leading up to the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban!
— John Spiers (@squeezyjohn) September 15, 2021
Raab denied that it would have been possible to predict the crisis, citing data from NATO that the Taliban were making slow progress in reclaiming Afghanistan.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the Cabinet reshuffle was part of a recalibrated plan to combat COVID-19 during the fall and winter and previously said that the prime minister had “full confidence” in Raab.
