LONDON, 22 September 2021, (TON): The UK cannot accept all Afghans who helped British forces during the country’s two-decade-long war, Defense Minister James Heappey said “as states across Europe accept a wave of refugees in the wake of the Taliban takeover.”

In Parliament, he said it is “not possible” for everyone considered at risk to be granted assistance under Britain’s new Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

His comments were delivered in response to MP Clive Efford, who said he knows of people who have “assisted our operations in Afghanistan” and who are eligible for the scheme, but had been denied.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this month amid Kabul evacuation efforts that the UK would help “Afghan friends of this country who guided, translated and served with our soldiers and officials, proving their courage and loyalty beyond doubt, sometimes in the heat of battle.”

But Heappey, on behalf of the government, said: “I know that’s a disappointment to many MPs who are working hard to support people who are in Afghanistan, and who they consider to be at risk. But it’s not possible for us to bring out everybody who has had a connection with the UK armed forces under the ARAP scheme. That’s why the terms were sent out as tightly as they were.”