PM: Taliban will be judged by their actions but UK will work with them 'if necessary'

• Boris Johnson says UK will work with Taliban if necessary

Boris Johnson said he would work with the Taliban if necessary to “find a solution” for Afghanistan but added they would be judged by their actions, not their words.

He said: “It’s worth repeating that at the end of a 20-year cycle of engagement there is a huge record to be proud of in Afghanistan.

“It bears repeating that the UK armed forces, UK diplomats, aid workers, did help to change the lives of literally millions of people in Afghanistan, to help educate millions of women and young girls who would otherwise not have been educated, and to stop terrorism from coming to this country.

“And what I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan – working with the Taliban, of course, if necessary – will go on.

“And our commitment to Afghanistan is lasting.”

The prime minister has come under huge pressure since the fall of Kabul from both Labour and his backbenches.

When asked if he believed the Taliban would be more moderate in future and whether it was a regime the UK could work with, he said: “I think it is very important that we take people at face value – we hope they mean what they say.”

The Prime Minister added the UK and its allies will judge the Taliban “on its actions”.

The Taliban have claimed they will respect women's rights but recent reports have suggested they have been tortured and face constant discrimination.

Since the Taliban seized power there has been chaos as many nations have tried to pull their civilians out of the country.

The scenes of chaos at Kabul airport have caused frustration across the world as many desperate Afghans have been trying to board any plane they can to leave the country.On Friday, the prime minister also said he disagreed “very strongly” with the suggestion that the government lacks interest in the matter, given Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab delegated a call to a junior colleague on helping people be evacuated.

Mr Raab has come under pressure after it was reported that Foreign Office officials advised the Foreign Secretary on August 13 to call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar – two days before the Taliban marched on Kabul – to arrange help for those who had supported British troops.But Mr Raab, who was on holiday at the time, delegated this to department minister Lord Goldsmith, and it later emerged the call was never made.

Mr Raab has rejected the claim and said the reason he did not hold the conversation with his Afghan counterpart was because the government “was quickly overtaken by events”.