Inside Politics: Raab faces MPs over Afghan crisis and experts to delay teen Covid jabs

UK engaging with Taliban on remaining Britons and vaccines ‘being held back out of fear of disrupting boosters for elderly’, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Joe Biden last night attempted to turn the page on Afghanistan, declaring that the “forever war” is over. Meanwhile, the UK is engaging with the new Taliban regime to get stranded Britons home. Elsewhere, government advisers on vaccination are resisting intense political pressure to give the go-ahead for Covid jabs for all Britain’s teenagers.

Inside the bubble

Amid an internal Whitehall blame game over Afghanistan Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, appears before the Commons foreign affairs committee at 2pm to face questions about his – and the government’s – chaotic handling of the crisis. Yesterday Raab sought to blame the Ministry of Defence over “clearly wrong” intelligence about how quickly the Taliban could take over as western forces withdrew. Expect more buck passing this afternoon.