Boris Johnson DID order Afghan animal rescue and officials 'must have' lied, says whistle blower

A whistle blower has claimed that Boris Johnson DID order the controversial airlift of an animal rescue charity in Afghanistan and a top officials “must have” deliberately lied about it.

A second Foreign Office worker suggested it was widely known the order for Nowzad staff came from the PM, according to a new testimony which has been published.

Josie Stewart, Head of Illicit Finance in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), said she spoke out after being put in “an impossible situation in which my conscience could not tolerate what FCDO required of me.”

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It follows e-mails released in January which said the Prime Minister had personally "authorised" an evacuation effort to get Pen Farthing, cats and dogs and Nowzad charity workers out of Afghanistan last summer, while the Taliban stormed the country.

The Prime Minister denied the story at the time, saying: "No, this whole thing is total rhubarb.” When pressed over whether he personally intervened, he said "absolutely not", adding "the military always prioritised human beings and that was quite right".

But Ms Stewart said: “It was widespread ‘knowledge’ in the FCDO Crisis Centre that the decision on Nowzad’s Afghan staff came from the Prime Minister.

“I saw messages to this effect on Microsoft Teams, I heard it discussed in the Crisis Centre including by senior civil servants.

“And I was copied on numerous emails which clearly suggested this and which no one, including Nigel Casey acting as ‘Crisis Gold’, challenged.”

Ms Stewart, who volunteered to work on the Afghanistan response, wrote: “My actions are likely to result in my dismissal from FCDO. I loved my job. I loved working with my regular team and department, and am devastated to be