ACTIVISTS warned today that hundreds of LGBT Afghans are in a race against time to escape the Taliban, but that efforts to resettle them in Britain risk being hampered by the Tory government’s new anti-refugee legislation.

Many transgender and gay people went into hiding after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, with fears of being rounded up, imprisoned and tortured. 

Now campaigners warn that some members of the community have already died of starvation while in hiding, have been killed by Taliban forces, or have committed suicide.