Tobias Ellwood faces Defence Committee no confidence vote after Taliban remarks
Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood is facing a no confidence motion after publishing a video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.
The Conservative former defence minister has faced a backlash from members of his own committee after claiming that security in Afghanistan has "vastly improved" and "corruption is down" since the fundamentalists returned in 2021.
He has called for Britain to reopen its embassy in Kabul, following on from the European Union re-establishing a physical presence in the territory last year.
Mr Ellwood has since deleted his video report from Helmand province – which was praised as "positive" by the Taliban – from Twitter and expressed regret over its recording.
But his apology has not prevented members of the cross-party Commons Defence Committee from attempting to oust him as chairman.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday he will "look into" the video filmed during a visit to the nation recaptured by the fundamentalists as the West removed its troops.
No confidence vote
Mr Ellwood is now facing a no confidence motion after the publishing of the video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.
His apology has not prevented members of the cross-party Commons Defence Committee from attempting to oust him as chairman.
The committee has confirmed that Tory MPs Mark Francois and Richard Drax, along with Labour's Kevan Jones and Derek Twigg, submitted a no confidence motion today.
Asked why he supported a vote on the former army captain's chairmanship, Mr Jones said: "I support this motion because it is not the first time the chairman has made comments which are at odds with the committee.
"His latest video is a step too far."
A no confidence motion in a select committee chairman requires at least 10 days' sitting notice, meaning it will not be debated by the panel until September due to the Commons being about to head for its summer recess.
According to committee rules, a no confidence motion must be agreed to by the majority of members, with at least two members from the largest party and at least one member from another party voting in favour.
Mr Ellwood has yet to respond to the publication of the motion.
'Video could be done better'
Mr Ellwood, a former defence minister who served in the Army, conceded that the "video could be done better".
On Twitter, preceding an apology statement, he said: "I've always believed politics includes looking over the horizon and daring to explore viable, long-term solutions – no matter how challenging the problem.
"But with that comes a duty to put your hand up when you get it wrong – as I did in reporting my recent Afghan visit."
'I got it wrong'
The MP for Bournemouth East told TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored: "It's important to put your hand up and acknowledge errors, however well intentioned.
"I stand up, I speak my mind. I try and find solutions, especially on the international stage, and I'm very, very sorry that my reflection of my visit could have been much better worded and have been taken out of context."
Mr Ellwood added: "I'll be very clear the last couple of days have probably been the most miserable as a Member of Parliament. I got it wrong."
Senior Tory MPs had condemned Mr Ellwood for his "utterly bizarre" visit to Afghanistan.
Mark Francois told the Commons his colleague should be "very careful" in expressing his views if he wanted to remain as chair of the committee.
He described the video as "utterly bizarre", arguing it was "lauding the Taliban's management of the country".
Committee members were describing it as a "wish-you-were-here video", Mr Francois said.
He added: "I wish to make plain on behalf of the committee he was speaking for himself, even though he used the title of chairman of our committee in a number of associated articles. Not in our name."
Mr Ellwood has been urging the Government to reopen the British embassy in Kabul so that progressive improvements for girls' education can be encouraged "incrementally".
In his video, he claimed that security in Afghanistan had "vastly improved" since the Taliban had returned to power, "corruption is down" and the opium trade has "all but disappeared".
He suggested Western countries should "incrementally" encourage the uptake of women’s rights by engaging with the new regime.
"After Nato's dramatic departure, should the West now engage with the Taliban? You quickly appreciate this war-weary nation is for the moment accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability," he said.
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