For any ambassador a key part of the job is to keep in close touch with your political masters back home. You need to understand what London needs from the embassy and make sure London gets it. And also to make sure that London knows what is actually happening on the ground, what that means…

I set off for Kabul on 13 June 2021. An overnight flight changing in Dubai, then a three-hour hop across the Gulf, Iran and Pakistan, before descending over majestic mountains and desert into Kabul. I travelled light: a couple of large bags and a backpack. The first rule of such postings is: do not take…