Tory MP Ellwood apologises over video praising Taliban as Sunak says 'will look into it'

A prominent Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom (UK) has conveyed remorse for sharing a video in which he asserted that Afghanistan had undergone a significant change for the better under the Taliban's rule.

Tobias Ellwood caused a strong reaction by sharing a video in which he stated that the streets of Afghanistan were "relatively safe" and that corruption had decreased. In an article for The Telegraph, he advocated for the UK to reopen its embassy in Kabul and engage in negotiations with the Taliban, even in light of the concerning decline in women's rights in the country.

During an interview with TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored, the British MP admitted that he had made an error in judgment and has since removed the video from his Twitter account.

BREAKING: Tobias Ellwood has deleted his controversial video backing engagement with the Taliban immediately after telling Piers Morgan he would do so live on air 👇@piersmorgan | @Tobias_Ellwood | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/iSVgBuYrMs

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) July 19, 2023

He further expressed that the days following the video's posting had been the most emotionally difficult and challenging in his tenure as an MP. In the video, the lawmaker representing Bournemouth East commended the presence of solar panels in Afghanistan and observed that the country's opium trade had significantly diminished, if not entirely vanished.

Ellwood told TalkTV, “I put my hand up, I step forward on many occasions and say things perhaps which other MPs won’t say and occasionally yes I say things the wrong way.”

He added that “because of Twitter a storm then comes about” and that he had “got it wrong”.

The British MP continued, “I got it wrong, Piers. I don’t know how many times you would like me to say that but I stand by the fact that Afghanistan is in a very bad place.”

Taliban lauds video, Sunak says will "look into" it

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid lauded Elwood's "positive" report about Helmand province, which the MP has since taken down from his Twitter account.

د افغانستان د اوسني وضعیت په اړه د یو برتانوي راپورتر (ټوبیاس) راپور چې محدوده زمانه کابل ته راغلی و.
واقعیت دادی چې له دې څخه په مراتبو لامثبت کارونه شوي دي.

راپور یک بریتانیایی (توبیاس) که زمان محدود به افغانستان آمده بود.
در واقعیت به مراتب کارهای بهتر ازین نیز انجام شده است. pic.twitter.com/qnv9qVgy0D

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) July 18, 2023

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that he will "look into" the video recorded during a visit to the nation, which had been recaptured by the fundamentalists as Western troops were withdrawn.

In the video, Ellwood suggested that western countries should “incrementally” encourage the uptake of women’s rights by engaging with the Taliban 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.