Over 40 people asked Copeland’s MP to help an animal charity in Afghanistan.
Trudy Harrison has insisted she was not working on behalf of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to help with the evacuation of Nowzad’s staff and animals, but as a constituency MP.
A whistleblower has claimed that Mr Johnson issued instructions to save animals from the Nowzad shelter during the mass evacuation from the country in August.
This, it has been alleged, could have potentially put British soldiers’ lives at risk.
It was claimed that Mrs Harrison – as the PM’s Parliamentary Private Secretary – she was organising the evacuation on Mr Johnson’s orders – although he has insisted he never intervened.
Downing Street has also denied the claims as untrue.
A letter has been leaked from Mrs Harrison to the boss of Nowzad, Pen Farthing, confirming that its 68 staff and animals would be evacuated by the RAF.
At lunchtime Number 10 said a whistleblower’s claim the PM and his wife were involved in the evacuation of Nowzad staff was “untrue”.
— Theo Usherwood (@theousherwood) December 7, 2021
Just been passed a letter from the PM’s PPS Trudy Harrison to Pen Farthing to confirm Nowzad staff could travel to the airport to be evacuated. pic.twitter.com/zYLLU0L4aG
She has signed it as MP for Copeland and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
It is understood that this is only because she held both roles at the time and all her official letters were signed in this way.
She admitted that she did tell staff she was Mr Johnson’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, but said Mr Johnson was not involved in any plans around the evacuation.
She told Sky News: “I was in touch with a whole raft of people and companies, there was a real focus on trying to be as helpful as possible in enabling organisations to understand government procedures and that’s the case here.
“I did this as a constituency MP at all times, but I am the Prime Minister’s PPS so I will have made that clear.
“I had no conversations with the Prime Minister at any time about encouraging him to authorise or support in any way Pen Farthing and the team.
“I did speak to Ben Wallace and Ben told me in no uncertain terms that it was not possible to prioritise in this situation.”
She repeated this morning: “I was assisting Pen Farthing and Nowzad as a constituency MP in response to many Copeland constituents’ requests to assist.”
Copeland MP Trudy Harrison caught up in latest Government scandal – read more here.
