Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has said he regretted a video in which he praised the Taliban for tackling corruption and opium farming in Afghanistan following criticism from colleagues.
His video lauding the Taliban government has since received praise from Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabinullah Mujahid, although the MP has now deleted it.
On Wednesday, July 19, the prime minister revealed that he would “look into” the video, which was filmed during Ellwood’s visit to the nation.
As for his future as the chair of the defence select committee, the committee has revealed that four members have tabled a motion of no confidence against the MP, triggering a vote that could oust him from the position.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have banned hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan, nearly 80 schoolgirls are thought to have been intentionally poisoned, and women and girls have been banned from university education, several professions and public spaces.
But, who is Tobias Ellwood, what did he say about the Taliban and what has the reaction to his video been?
Here is everything we know.
د افغانستان د اوسني وضعیت په اړه د یو برتانوي راپورتر (ټوبیاس) راپور چې محدوده زمانه کابل ته راغلی و.
— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) July 18, 2023
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
Who is Tobias Ellwood?
Tobias Martin Ellwood is a British politician and former soldier who is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and chairs the defence select committee.
He was born in New York City and studied in Bonn and Vienna before attending Loughborough University for a BA and the Cass Business School at City University to get an MBA.
He was a member of the University Officers’ Training Corps before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Territorial Army in 1989. Once he completed his regular army commissioning course, he joined the Royal Green Jackets and became a member of the Reserve of Officers, reaching the rank of captain.
In September 2018, Ellwood was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel as a reservist in the 77th Brigade.
The politician married corporate lawyer Hannah Ryan in July 2005 in East Yorkshire and they have two sons.
Ellwood’s brother Jonathan, who was the director of studies at the International School in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, died in the 2002 Bali bombing that targeted the tourist district of Kuta and killed 202 people.
Political career
His political career started when he began working as a researcher for the Tory MP Tom King. Later, in 1998, he was the chairman of the Hertfordshire South West Conservative Association for a year.
He became a councillor for the Dacorum Borough Council in 1999 and had his first go at getting a parliamentary seat in 2001. However, it wasn’t until the 2005 general election that he gained a seat by becoming the MP for Bournemouth South East.
He was made the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East and Africa and FCO services in 2014.
Since January 2020, He has been chairing the defence select committee, which assesses the Ministry of Defence’s expenditure, administration and policies.
What did he say about the Taliban?
In Ellwood’s now-deleted video he praised the Taliban, saying Afghanistan was now “a very different country indeed”.
“Well, it may be hard to believe, but security has vastly improved, corruption is down and the opium trade has all but disappeared. Pylons distribute electricity to the cities, solar panels are now everywhere powering irrigation pumps, allowing more crops to grow.” he shared.
“You quickly appreciate this war-weary nation is, for the moment, accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability. Well, here in Kabul the streets are relatively safe. The checkpoints have all gone. Businesses are reopening. The economy is starting to function.” the MP added.
He urged the UK to lead the way in re-engaging with Afghanistan by reopening the embassy, saying: “Shouting from afar will not improve women’s rights”.
What has the reaction been?
The MP has been facing a backlash ever since the video was released, with a number of MPs publicly condemning him.
Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has deemed his video as “foolish and ill advised”, saying it “could have been issued by the Afghan tourist board”.
Similarly, Ellwood’s defence committee colleague Mark Francois called the video “utterly bizarre”.
Francois said: “He made no mention of the fact that the Taliban are still attempting to identify and kill Afghan citizens who helped our Armed Forces, and also makes no specific mention of the fact that young girls in Afghanistan don’t even have the right to go to school under that government.”
I’ve always believed politics includes looking over the horizon, and daring to explore viable, longterm solutions - no matter how challenging the problem.
— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) July 20, 2023
But with that comes a duty to put your hand up when you get it wrong - as I did in reporting my recent Afghan visit: pic.twitter.com/BbLmVYw16y
“I wish to make plain, on behalf of the committee, he was speaking for himself, even though he used the title of chairman of our committee in a number of associated articles. Not in our name.”
A vote will now be held to determine his future as the chair of the committee. If six or more out of the 11 members vote to remove him, he will be ousted.
Ellwood issued an apology, saying: “I’ve always believed politics includes looking over the horizon, and daring to explore viable, longterm solutions – no matter how challenging the problem.
“But with that comes a duty to put your hand up when you get it wrong – as I did in reporting my recent Afghan visit .”
