Josie Stewart, a former Foreign Office civil servant, has launched a tribunal case concerning her dismissal after revealing internal emails and details about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The tribunal, which commenced on May 2, 2024, and is set to continue until May 20, is scrutinizing the UK government’s handling of the situation. Stewart alleged that the government, including then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, prioritised political considerations over an effective evacuation strategy, potentially exacerbating the suffering and risking lives during the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.

Stewart’s allegations came after she disclosed internal communications to the media, illustrating the government’s apparent mismanagement of the evacuation process. The emails highlighted by Stewart reportedly demonstrated Johnson’s involvement in decisions regarding the evacuation of staff and animals from the Nowzad charity, contradicting his previous denials of involvement. These revelations came to light as she defended another whistleblower and aimed to correct what she perceived as misleading government portrayals of the evacuation effort.

Starkly critical of what she described as the “biggest foreign policy failure of our time,” Stewart asserted that the chaotic nature of the withdrawal and subsequent government actions led to unnecessary hardship. She was subsequently suspended and dismissed, with her case now presenting a legal examination of civil servants’ rights to make public interest disclosures.

The Foreign Office has defended its actions during the withdrawal process, stating that they have taken lessons from the events in Kabul and have applied these in later missions. Meanwhile, Stewart, through her legal challenge, continues to seek justice, which she argues stems from a moral obligation to expose the truth behind the UK’s evacuation efforts from Afghanistan.