THE BBC has been blasted for burying the story of an unprecedented UK Government cover-up – under stories about MasterChef.
The corporation came under fire on Tuesday evening when it led its online news homepage on the news that cooking show host John Torode had been sacked – hours after it emerged that successive governments had kept secret an asylum plan for Afghans after an enormous data breach was feared to have put thousands of lives at risk.
Former Newsnight journalist Lewis Goodall, now host of The News Agents podcast, tweeted: “I am loath to criticise my former BBC colleagues and I’m aware they weren’t in on the story.
“But the idea of a TV presenter losing his job being the top story on the website as opposed to Parliament being kept in the dark for two years about the Afghan data leak is risible.”
On the News at 10, the first 13 minutes of the programme was devoted to an exclusive interview with US president Donald Trump and developments in the war in Ukraine before turning to the Torode (above) story and the BBC’s annual report.
The programme then turned to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Mansion House speech – which unveiled a package of reforms to deregulate the financial markets – before turning to the Afghanistan cover-up.
A super-injunction – the first ever obtained by the UK Government – was lifted on Wednesday permitting reporting on the story.
It was revealed that a Ministry of Defence (MoD) officer had leaked the data of thousands of Afghans who had collaborated with the UK military during the war – which went unnoticed until 18 months later.
The MoD only became aware of the breach after it was mentioned in a Facebook group in August 2023.
Rishi Sunak’s government responded by creating a new asylum route for Afghans – on which the media was unable to report because of a gagging order.
Ministers feared those who had their personal details exposed would be at risk of persecution from the Taliban.
A super-injunction prevents reporting on certain topics but also prevents reporting on the fact that there even is an injunction.
The cost to the taxpayer for the blunder is expected to be at least £800 million – though more might have to be paid out if the Government is successfully sued for compensation by those affected.
There is an interim injunction in place which prevents reporting on further details yet to be revealed.
The story splashed the front pages of eight national newspapers.
The BBC was approached for comment.
