Lord Newby slams Boris Johnson's Afghanistan approach

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According to the latest figures from pollster, YouGov, the Prime Minister has fallen to the lowest approval rating registered since last December. Published today, Mr Johnson’s approval rating has fallen to 27 percent as of August 23. That is the lowest rating since December 16 ahead of Mr Johnson securing the UK’s complete departure from the EU.

In a further worrying sign for the Prime Minister, his approval rating has steadily dropped after reaching 40 percent on May 10.

While his approval rating has dropped, the Prime Minister’s disapproval figure has surged since May 10.

Since then, it has now risen by 10 percent to 50 as of August 23.

This comes as the Prime Minister has come under fire for the UK’s involvement in the Afghanistan crisis.

Indeed, a previous poll from YouGov showed the majority of those asked believed it was wrong for the West to pull troops out of the country.

Of the 2,787 asked on August 16, 42 percent claimed it was wrong for the UK and US to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

A further 31 percent were unsure while 28 percent claimed it was the correct decision.

Today, the Prime Minister will chair a G7 meeting where he will ask Joe Biden to delay the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

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Ahead of the meeting today, Mr Johnson said: “Our first priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have assisted our efforts over the last 20 years – but as we look ahead to the next phase, it’s vital we come together as an international community and agree a joint approach for the longer term.

“That’s why I’ve called an emergency meeting of the G7 – to coordinate our response to the immediate crisis, to reaffirm our commitment to the Afghan people, and to ask our international partners to match the UK’s commitments to support those in need.

“Together with our partners and allies, we will continue to use every humanitarian and diplomatic lever to safeguard human rights and protect the gains made over the last two decades.

“The Taliban will be judged by their deeds and not their words.”

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Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary has claimed UK troops will not be able to remain in the country after US forces depart.

The current deadline for the end of the operation is August 31 with thousands of Afghans remaining in the country.

If Western forces remain in the country, the Taliban has warned there will be consequences.

Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the terrorist group, claimed August 31 is the final red line.

He said: “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.

“It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation it will provoke a reaction.”

This data set for YouGov’s approval tracker was published on August 24 and asked between 1,610 to 3,326 in this current wave.

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