'I was wrong': Top Tory faces vote of no confidence after apologizing for 'praising the Taliban'

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Tobias Ellwood faces a no-confidence vote that could see him ousted as chairman of parliament's defense committee over a video in which he praised the Taliban for "dramatically improving" Afghanistan.

The senior Tory MP has apologized for posting the video, filmed while on a recent trip to the country, and has deleted it, accepting he ‘got it wrong’.

But fellow Defense Committee members were furious at the video, and it is understood Mr Ellwood has been asked to resign as chairman.

After refusing to stand down, committee MPs including Kevan Jones, Mark Francois, Derek Twigg and Richard Drax tabled the no confidence motion, which will be voted on in September after Parliament's summer recess.

Mr. Jones, a Labor MP, told The Independent: "People are very angry at the video and having him as chairman undermines the credibility of the commission."

Mr. Ellwood faced backlash from fellow Tory MPs over the clip, in which he called on Britain to resume talks with the Taliban and claimed the oppressive regime had achieved a peace not seen since the 1970s.

Mr. François described Mr Ellwood's claims as "utterly bizarre", accusing him of "praising the Taliban's management" of Afghanistan.

"He made no mention of the fact that the Taliban were still trying to identify and kill Afghan citizens who helped our armed forces, and also made no specific mention of the fact that young girls in Afghanistan are not even allowed to go to school under this government," Mr François added.

He said Mr Ellwood was not speaking on behalf of the Defense Committee.

Former Prime Minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the video was "not a very welcome statement" in light of the ongoing persecution in Afghanistan. And Veterans Affairs Secretary Johnny Mercer said it was 'clear' the Taliban remained a 'serious threat' to human rights.

In the video, Mr Ellwood said: 'It's different now that the Taliban have returned to power. Well, it may be hard to believe, but security has improved dramatically, corruption is down and the opium trade is all but gone. lying the irrigator...