Ex-soldier: 'No regrets' for trying to break interpreter into UK

A former British army officer says he has "no regrets" after he accompanied his former Afghan interpreter in trying to break into the Eurotunnel terminal.

George Tyldesley, who served in the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regimen, said he was determined to get the interpreter, known as Khushal, to the UK from the migrant camps of Calais.

"I don't have any regrets over what I did. As much as anything it was just an act of protest and an act of solidarity for him. It seemed to me an appropriate action," said Tyldesley.

"There was one particular time we were on patrol and Khushal alerted me to some activity up ahead. I diverted our course slightly and we narrowly avoided a blast radius of an IED (improvised explosive device ). I feel I obviously have an awful lot that I owe him and I think the country does. I don't mind so much if it's sensible - I think it's the right thing to do,” he added.

This clip is taken from 5live Daily on Tuesday 25th August 2015.

Ministry Of Defence statement:

"We recognise the vital role local staff, including interpreters, played in operations in Afghanistan. That is why, as well as offering a generous redundancy package in recognition of this service, we have a permanent expert team based in Kabul to thoroughly investigate claims of intimidation.

They assist with relocations within Afghanistan and, where necessary, relocation to the UK. Our policy is about selecting the appropriate measure to mitigate the threat.

To date 150 interpreters and their families have moved to the UK under the ex-gratia redundancy scheme. Another 350 interpreters have been offered relocation UK under the government's bespoke immigration arrangement. This is a redundancy policy specifically for Afghan local staff and is separate to the UK asylum system.

"Local Afghan staff who seek entry to the UK independently of the established processes will be considered under the UN Refugee Convention, to which the UK is a signatory. This requires that a refugee must be outside his or her country of origin before they can be recognised as such. Asylum claims are considered on their individual merits."

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