A Tory frontbencher has branded Bashar al-Assad a “lying bastard” after he broke his silence after he was overthrown as Syrian president.
In a statement, he denied reports that he had fled the country for his life after rebel forces reached the capital Damascus.
He said: “My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed.
“On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties, until the early hours of Sunday, December 8.”
Assad said he then retreated to a Russian-controlled airbase, which was then evacuated at Moscow’s request.
“This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions,” he said.
“At no point during these events did I consider standing down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party.”
Assad, who oversaw a brutal regime during nearly 25 years in power which saw his political opponents jailed and tortured, said he had “never sought positions for personal gain but have always considered myself as a custodian of a national project”.
Re-posting his statement on X, Kearns, the shadow national security minister, said: “Once a lying bastard, always a lying bastard.”
Meanwhile, foreign secretary David Lammy has admitted the UK has had “diplomatic contact” with the rebel group that toppled Assad’s regime as he announced £50 million of humanitarian aid for vulnerable Syrians across the Middle East.
He said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) remains proscribed in Britain but “as you would expect” the government has spoken to the organisation.