Former home secretary Suella Braverman has expressed her fury at the cover-up and “failures” of the previous Conservative government over the Afghan data breach.
The dataset containing the personal information of almost 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was released in error in February 2022 by a defence official.
It triggered an operation to bring 16,000 Afghans to the UK - and saw an injunction, later upgraded to a superinjunction, issued that banned the media reporting on the leak in a bid to prevent the Taliban finding out.
But Ms Braverman has said she opposed the move but was then gagged by the super injunction, which meant she was unable to comment.
“What has happened is outrageous and must never happen again,” she said. “We must therefore be very clear about what that was and how it happened.
“The cover-up was wrong, the super injunction was wrong, and the failure to stop unwanted mass immigration has been unforgivable.
“So, I am sorry: the Conservative government failed you, and its leaders let you down. It wasn’t good enough then. It’s not good enough now.”
Updates below
- Keir Starmer goes on the attack over the Afghan data breach
- PM 'angry' over leak, No 10 says
- Committee will launch inquiry into data leak
- Former veterans minister criticses ‘hapless’ Afghan resettlement failures
- Holly Bancroft | Inside the two-year battle to reveal MoD data breach that put 100,000 lives at risk
Chair of commons committee pushing for investigation
17:22 , David MaddoxDame Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons committee for science innovation and technology, is writing to the Information Commissioner pushing for an investigation.
The Information Commissioner has declined to hold its own investigation even though it has previously issued a fine of £305,000 for a much smaller MoD data breach.
Dame Chi told The Independent: “A leak of this magnitude is of course extremely worrying and the fact that it happened in the Ministry of Defence brings the additional dimension of security concerns. The Defence Select Committee will be undertaking a full inquiry , in the meantime I will be writing to the Information Commissioner to ask for more details on his office's role in this case.”
Lib Dems accuse Badenoch of a 'dereliction of duty' over Afghan leak
17:01 , Jabed AhmedSir Ed Davey accused Kemi Badenoch of a “dereliction of duty” after Number 10 claimed the Tory leader did not attend a security briefing she was offered when she would have been told about the Afghan data leak.
The Liberal Democrat leader said: “I think it was a dereliction of duty, actually, and with the Conservatives clearly guilty of some serious mistakes with respect to those Afghan families and people who helped our soldiers, and maybe that’s why she didn’t want to hear the truth.
“Who knows?”
Comment | We’re all owed an apology for the disastrous MoD data leak
16:58 , Jabed AhmedOur Associate Editor Sean O’ Grady writes:
Maybe the most insidious aspect of the Afghan leak scandal, in terms of our constitutional safeguards, was that the government went to the speakers of both Houses of Parliament to brief them as to why they should not permit any questions about the issue to be raised by MPs or peers.
This was to prevent anyone using parliamentary privilege, which trumps almost everything – to find out what was going on, why it was going in and who was accountable – in other words, the normal democratic process.
This was, of course, on top of the other measures taken to guarantee that this appalling blunder be kept quiet – principally, the now notorious super injunction, which banned all mention of the matter and even the existence of the injunction itself. As few people as possible within government were informed – we still don’t know who – and the natural bureaucratic instinct to deny, cover up and deflect was followed.
Read the full article below:
Recap | Tories have questions to answer over Afghan data breach, Starmer says
16:30 , Jabed AhmedTory ex-ministers have “serious questions to answer” about the Afghan data leak, Sir Keir Starmer said earlier today.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy and yesterday, the Defence Secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
“Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.”
He suggested the Conservatives should “welcome” scrutiny from the Commons Defence Committee.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “This episode raises significant constitutional issues.”
Downing Street later declined to say what questions former ministers should face but said Sir Keir was “angry” about the breach.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has hit back at Liz Truss for suggesting she is “shocked” by the government’s superinjunction.
Earlier today, the former prime minister, who was also foreign secretary when the data breach occurred, said: “I am shocked by the secrecy and cover-up over the admission of thousands of Afghans to Britain at the cost of £7bn to the taxpayer. A decision that was in itself wrong.
“It is a huge betrayal of public trust.
“Those responsible in both Governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account.”
However, Sir Ben replied: “Oh dear Liz. Not quite. You were part of the Cabinet that approved the relocation of the ARAP Afghans and the wider Home Office refugee scheme.
“The £7bn is the total cost of the total scheme. Not the ones involved in the leak. I’m ‘shocked’ you cant remember your own role…..”
Keir Starmer suspends Labour rebels after repeated backbench revolts
15:56 , Jabed AhmedSir Keir Starmer has suspended at least three Labour MPs as he seeks to reassert his authority after a series of damaging backbench rebellions.
The MPs are thought to have lost the party whip over “persistent breaches of party discipline”.
The Independent understands that rebel leader Rachael Maskell, along with Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliffe and Neil Duncan-Jordan have been called in to see the chief whip over the recent revolt over welfare reforms. They are expected to have the whip suspended.
Our Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin and Political Editor David Maddox report:
Keir Starmer suspends Labour rebels after repeated backbench revolts
Your Views | Independent readers react to UK’s ‘shameful’ MoD data breach
15:32 , Jabed AhmedReactions from readers have been swift and damning, touching on moral responsibility, government secrecy, institutional incompetence, and the human cost of this breach.
Many drew parallels with past scandals, while others demanded consequences and urgent reform.
Here’s what The Independent’s readers had to say:
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‘We failed those who protected us’: Readers react to UK’s Afghan data breach
Former home secretary Suella Braverman condemns her ex-colleagues for Afghan cover up
15:12 , David MaddoxFormer home secretary Suella Braverman has issued a statement expressing her fury at the cover up of the Afghan data breach and use of a secret route to bring 24,000 Afghans to the UK.
Ms Braverman had been under attack from Reform UK because she was home secretary and responsible for immigration during part of the time of the debacle after thousands of names were accidentally leaked in an email from an official.
But Ms Braverman has said she opposed the move but was then gagged by the super injunction which meant she was unable to comment.
She said: “There is much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD, both ministers and officials, and the House of Commons is the right place to do so. I hope we have the opportunity soon.
“What has happened is outrageous and must never happen again. We must therefore be very clear about what that was and how it happened.
“The cover-up was wrong, the super injunction was wrong, and the failure to stop unwanted mass immigration has been unforgivable. So, I am sorry: the Conservative government failed you and its leaders let you down. It wasn’t good enough then. It’s not good enough now.
“This episode exposes everything wrong with the Westminster establishment. The State apparatus thinks it can hide its failures behind legal technicalities while ordinary people pay the price.
“Those responsible must be held accountable, and the system that enabled this cover-up must be dismantled.”
Downing Street defends delay in lifting Afghanistan superinjunction
14:54 , Jabed AhmedDowning Street defended the Labour Government’s decision to apply for the Afghanistan superinjunction to be extended prior to Tuesday, saying it was right that a full assessment took place before lifting the order.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There was significant work that needed to be done.
“We don’t take these decisions lightly. There are obviously serious issues and serious complexities in relation to this case.
“It took time to assess the situation, getting on top of the intelligence assessments, the policy complexities and the court papers, and it was right to do the full and proper work to allow Paul Rimmer the time to complete his assessment.
“But obviously, on the basis of Paul Rimmer’s assessment, the Government has supported the lifting of the superinjunction.”
No 10 says there are questions for Tories - but decline to say what those questions are
14:39 , Jabed AhmedDowning Street insisted former Conservative ministers had questions to answer about the Afghan data breach, but declined to say what those questions were.
Asked what questions former ministers should face, the Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “Clearly there have been serious failures here that have led to this major security breach impacting individuals’ data that wasn’t able to be scrutinised in the way the public would expect.
“Now is the time when questions can be asked and answered. The Defence Secretary has set out that process.
“And I would also point out that former Tory ministers have been out over the past 24 hours making clear the total incompetence at the top of government in handling this situation and the wider situation in Afghanistan.
“Johnny Mercer said this morning, this was just the end of the line of the ineptitude of the Conservative government, it’s clear that they have questions to answer about how they handled this whole process.”
Committee will launch inquiry into data leak
14:23 , Jabed AhmedThe Commons Defence Committee will launch an inquiry into the Afghan data leak.
Committee chairman Tan Dhesi told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “I’m not sure whether a public inquiry will or will not happen, but one thing you can rest assured on is that the Defence Committee has decided that we will be launching an inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired here, given the serious ramifications on so many levels.
“We haven’t set out the exact terms of reference, and we will be doing so straight after the recess as to who we will be calling up and how we want to get to the bottom of what has happened on behalf of Parliament, which, by the way, has been sidelined for too long on this issue, on behalf of the people.”
He said it was a “huge concern” that the injunction was in place for more than two years.
“I think the fact that there has been no parliamentary scrutiny, that nobody’s been held to account on this is just not on at all.”
He said the committee would get into the “nooks and crannies” of what compensation has been given or is proposed to be given to Afghan nationals affected by the data breach.
Badenoch declined a briefing where she would have been told about the Afghan data breach
14:12 , Kate DevlinThe Tory leader Kemi Badenoch did not attend a briefing in March in which she would have been told about the Afghan data breach.
The Conservatives sent the shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge instead.
Ms Badenoch did not use any of her six questions to the prime minister at PMQs earlier to ask about the scandal, which began under the last Tory government.
The breach, an email blunder, triggered the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who were brought to the UK under a secret resettlement scheme.
Tory sources claimed the March briefing was not flagged as important through the usual channels, meaning the party sent Mr Cartlidge in her place.
Starmer was 'angry' when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 says
14:10 , Jabed AhmedKeir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.
Sir Keir Starmer's press secretary said: "The prime minister is angry at such a terrible breach that had such grave consequences being allowed to happen.
"Which is why it's clear that there are questions that need to be answered by Conservative ministers who, in their own words, have talked about the ineptitude of the Conservative government at the time."
Ben Wallace takes ‘complete responsibility’ for Afghan leak — but refuses to apologise for superinjunction
13:59 , Jabed AhmedMy colleague Archie Mitchell reports:
Ben Wallace takes ‘complete responsibility’ for Afghan leak — but defends injunction
Watch | Healey: ‘No justification’ for most names in Afghan data leak to claim asylum in Britain
13:43 , Jabed AhmedKeir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.
13:34 , Kate DevlinKeir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.
Sir Keir Starmer's press secretary said: "The Prime Minister is angry at such a terrible breach that had such grave consequences being allowed to happen.
"Which is why it's clear that there are questions that need to be answered by Conservative ministers who, in their own words, have talked about the ineptitude of the Conservative government at the time."
Kendall defends welfare reform plan after Government forced to ditch key parts
13:29 , Jabed AhmedLiz Kendall insisted the Government’s welfare reforms were in “the right place” now after she was forced to scrap most of the planned changes in the face of a Labour revolt.
The Work and Pensions Secretary acknowledged it had been a “bumpy ride” but the review into the personal independence payment (Pip) would now be able to take a proper look at the system in conjunction with disabled people.
Ms Kendall insisted the reforms had not been motivated by the Treasury’s desire to cut spending but were driven by a desire to end a situation where people became dependent on benefits rather than working.
The Universal Credit Bill cleared the Commons after elements to restrict eligibility to Pip were scrapped, with any changes postponed until after a review led by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms.
Ms Kendall said: “I know, always, how anxious people are when they hear about proposed changes in the benefits system.
“I think we’ve ended up in the right place now and I think we have a really positive story going forward about how we will work with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts to make sure we get a system that’s fit for the future.”
She denied the proposals were motivated by the almost £5 billion they were due to save.
Ms Kendall said: “I’ve never started with pound signs or spreadsheets. I’ve always started with what I believe can help people with long-term health conditions and disabled people build a better life for themselves and our reforms are based on helping those who can work to do so, instead of writing them off and then denying them any support.”
Lammy hints at sanctions for Israeli minister over Gaza camp plans
13:14 , Jabed AhmedIsrael’s defence minister could face UK sanctions over a proposal to force Palestinians into a closed section of the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Secretary has hinted.
David Lammy has condemned defence minister Israel Katz, who has reportedly put forward plans to move 600,000 Palestinians to a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, Gaza’s now largely destroyed southern-most city.
They would then be prevented from leaving, with the aim being to eventually move the entire population to the city.
He told the Commons International Development Committee on Wednesday that “no defence minister should be talking about effectively holding people, unable to leave, presumably, in the manner in which he described”.
Asked whether Mr Katz would be sanctioned, as other Israeli ministers had been over comments inciting violence against Palestinians, Mr Lammy told the committee he could not comment on future sanctions.
But he added: “You will have heard my statement about Minister Katz and you will have heard my statements previously about ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, and then the decision that I took.”
Watch | Starmer pressed over UK sanctions against Israel for war crimes targeting Palestinian children
13:08 , Jabed AhmedRecap | Commons speaker says Afghan data breach could raise 'significant constitutional issues'
12:59 , Jabed AhmedJust before PMQs started, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle warned that the handling of a data leak on Afghans who supported British forces “raises significant constitutional issues”.
“I am grateful to the Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey) for his statement yesterday,” he said.
“This episode raises significant constitutional issues. I have therefore asked the clerks to consider whether any lessons need to be learned from this case.
“If so, I will be reporting back to the House in due course.”
Watch | Lib Dems give support to public inquiry on 'shocking' Afghan leak
12:40 , Jabed AhmedTory MP’s Salt Path joke in full
12:39 , Archie MitchellA Tory MP embarked on a long and windy metaphor comparing the prime minister’s time in office to the Salt Path novel.
Graham Stuart used PMQs to say to Sir Keir Starmer: “Could I begin by warmly congratulating the prime minister on his first year in office, acknowledge that the Labour manifesto was beautifully written, deeply, deeply moving, and like that other great blockbuster of hope and redemption, the Salt Path, a total pack of lies.
“With joblessness, inflation and debt ballooning, his personal ratings collapsing, and his backbenchers on work to rule, could the prime minister recommend a summer recess read in order to take all our minds away from the calamitous journey on which he and the chancellor have embarked?”
PMQs analysis: A late reminder that Israel is causing Starmer problems in his own party
12:35 , David MaddoxAs the last PMQs draws to an end before the summer recess, a passionate question by Labour Bradford East MP Imran Hussain is a reminder to Sir Keir Starmer of the divisions within his own party.
Mr Hussain listed “war crimes” by the Israeli government and demanded to know when Israel will be treated in the same way as Russia over its war crimes in Ukraine.
The prime minister responded that he is “appalled by reports” of Israel’s actions.
However, he knows that as well as strong supporters of Palestinians on his benches, he also has strong supporters of Israel.
This issue is going to come back stronger after the summer, and along with welfare, could decide the prime minister’s fate.
Starmer lashes out at SNP over Chinese buses
12:30 , Archie MitchellSir Keir Starmer has attacked the SNP for buying Chinese buses, not those made in Scotland.
The prime minister hit out at the Scottish government for also buying ships from Turkey and Poland, not those made in Scotland.
He said: “While Labour mayors in England are ordering Scottish buses the SNP are ordering buses from China, just like they ordered ships from Turkey and Poland, not Scottish shipyards. The SNP should be backing Scottish workers.”
Watch | Starmer: Tories have questions to answer over Afghan data breach and superinjunction
12:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Starmer says Tories have ‘serious questions to answer’ over Afghan data breach
Starmer says Tories and Reform are the same party
12:21 , Archie MitchellSir Keir Starmer has launched his latest attack line against Reform UK, arguing it is the same as the Conservative Party - and that the Conservative Party is the same as Reform.
After Labour backbencher Andy MacNae teed the prime minister up for a shot at Nigel Farage’s party, Sir Keir said he is doing “a much better job than his predecessor” - a reference to the recent defection of Jake Berry from Reform to the Tories.
The PM said: “The Conservative Party chairman under Liz Truss, who has now joined Reform, proves once again that if you vote Tory, you get Reform, and if you vote Reform, you get the Tories”.
Lib Dems back public inquiry on Afghan leak
12:20 , Kate DevlinLib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey brought up the Afghan data leak when it was his turn to question Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs.
Sir Ed told the Labour leader that he would have the support of the Lib Dems if he ordered a public inquiry into what happened.
It came after Sir Keir went on the attack over the breach, saying that Tory ministers “at the time have serious questions to answer.”
He also hit out at the “chaos” his government inherited just over a year ago.
Starmer delivers robust defence of Labour’s first year
12:17 , Archie MitchellSir Keir Starmer has launched a robust defence of Labour’s first year in power, reeling off a list of achievements his MPs will tell their constituents about over the summer holidays.
After Kemi Badenoch delivered a damning verdict on the party’s record, saying “they are going to have to explain to their constituents why they have made a mess over the last 12 months”.
Sir Keir said, “we are happily going to go to our constituents,” and said several things they will proudly tell them about.
The list included extra NHS appointments, free school meals, free childcare, affordable houses, road upgrades and trade deals.
Kemi Badenoch delivers Starmer’s school report
12:13 , Archie MitchellKemi Badenoch has given Sir Keir Starmer a school-style end of year report.
The Tory leader said the “worst is yet to come” after Labour’s first year in power, with recess around the corner.
At the final PMQs before summer, she said: “It's the end of term, Mr Speaker. So why don't we go through his end of term scorecard?
“The economy is contracting, inflation the highest in the G7, unemployment up every month under this government, spending out of control, borrowing costs more expensive than Greece and this is just the first year Mr Speaker.
“The Labour Party should be ashamed of what it is doing to the country.”
Starmer repeats manifesto tax pledges, but won’t rule out pensions tax
12:11 , Archie MitchellSir Keir Starmer has repeated Labour’s manifesto promise not to hike taxes on working people, but refused to rule out taxing pension contributions.
The prime minister said he is “not going to write the Budget in advance”, but said his previous commitments remain.
Kemi Badenoch said: “I asked him about pension contributions.
“The truth is, he doesn't want to talk about pension contributions. It's all right for the Prime Minister, he has his own special law to stop his personal pension from being taxed.”
The Tory leader had said it is “clear as day” the government is considering taxing pension contributions.
Kemi Badenoch pressing on the ‘modest income’ issue
12:09 , David MaddoxThe Tory leader definitely does not want to talk about the story of the week because the Afghan data breach and cover up happened under the Tories’ watch.
Instead, she is pursuing the Labour economic policy and the probability of new tax rises.
The latest is that they do not want to tax people with “modest incomes” more. This has been a change from “working people”.
The problem is that the prime minister cannot say what a modest income is exactly.
Badenoch opens with warning over tax
12:07 , Archie MitchellKemi Badenoch opened PMQs highlighting a warning from the OBR about Britain’s spiralling tax burden being “bad for growth”.
“Does the prime minister agree?” the Tory leader asked.
Sir Keir Starmer replied: “I’ll tell you what's bad for growth, 14 years of a Tory government,
stagnant growth, stagnant growth for 14 years, leaving a £22bn pound black hole.
“What we have achieved in the first quarter of this year is the highest growth in the G7, three trade deals, all of which will boost growth.”
Keir Starmer goes on the attack over the Afghan data breach
12:05 , David MaddoxSir Keir Starmer has opened PMQs with a statement on the data breach in Afghanistan.
Unlike defence secretary John Healey yesterday, the prime minister has gone full party political on the issue.
Ministers from the party opposite at the time have serious questions to answer,” Sir Keir stated.
He has said that it was part of the “chaos” his government inherited just over a year ago.
The prime minister has welcomed the defence committee inquiry.
Starmer says 'serious questions to answer' over Afghan breach
12:03 , Jabed AhmedSir Keir Starmer has said the Tories have “serious questions to answer” over the Afghan data breach.
PMQs begins
12:01 , Jabed AhmedThe final PMQs before summer recess has begun.
Although we do not know exactly what Kemi Badenoch will ask Sir Keir Starmer this week, here are a few of the topics we can expect:
- The Afghan resettlement scheme
- Latest inflation figures
- Migrant deal with France
- Donald Trump’s visit to the UK
What is a superinjunction?
11:54 , Holly BancroftAn injunction is a legal order that prevents a person or publication from reporting certain information said to be confidential or private.
A superinjunction adds an extra layer to this by banning the reporting of the existence of the order itself. Under a superinjunction, a person cannot publicise or inform others about the existence of the order or the underlying legal proceedings.
Superinjunctions need to be kept under review by the court and can only be granted when strictly necessary.
If someone breaches a superinjunction, they may be found in contempt of court and face being imprisoned, fined or having their assets seized.
Read the full explainer below:
Superinjunctions: Draconian gagging orders used to keep information secret
Commons speaker says Afghan data breach could raise 'significant constitutional issues'
11:52 , Jabed AhmedSpeaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has warned that the handling of a data leak on Afghans who supported British forces “raises significant constitutional issues”.
Sir Lindsay told the Commons on Wednesday morning: “I am grateful to the Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey) for his statement yesterday.
“This episode raises significant constitutional issues. I have therefore asked the clerks to consider whether any lessons need to be learned from this case.
“If so, I will be reporting back to the House in due course.”
Live: Starmer faces Afghan data leak questions in final PMQs before summer recess
11:45 , Jabed AhmedBraverman’s husband quits Reform after Zia Yusuf criticism
11:37 , Archie MitchellSuella Braverman’s husband has quit Reform UK after chairman Zia Yusuf criticised her over the government’s Afghan data leak.
Ms Braverman’s husband Rael defected from the Conservatives to join Nigel Farage’s party last year, as reported by The Independent, but the former home secretary stuck with the Conservatives.
But, after Mr Yusuf implied Ms Braverman - alongside ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick - was responsible for covering up the scandal, her husband announced he had left the party.
“I have left Reform effective immediately,” Mr Braverman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Mr Yusuf had compared the Afghan scandal to treason, pointing out that Ms Braverman was home secretary at the time.
Keir Starmer to face difficult questions over Afghan data breach
11:21 , Kate Devlin, Whitehall EditorThis will be the Labour leader’s last PMQs before the long summer recess, when Parliament closes until September.
After a difficult few weeks, which saw his backbenchers blow a multi-billion pound hole in the government’s finances with a revolt over welfare cuts and his chancellor cry in the Commons, Sir Keir could be forgiven for hoping today would be a relatively straightforward outing.
But he is set to be grilled by MPs after the extraordinary revelation on Tuesday that the government used a superinjunction to keep secret an email blunder which triggered the evacuation of thousands of Afghans brought to the UK under a secret resettlement scheme.
He will be glad of summer when it comes.
Wallace hits back at Mercer for 'incompetence' comment
11:18 , Jabed AhmedFormer Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has hit back at his former ministerial colleague Johnny Mercer.
As noted in the previous post (10.59am), Mr Mercer criticised the “hapless display of incompetence” by the government over the Afghan resettlement scheme.
When asked about the comments on LBC, Sir Ben said: “No, I don’t agree with it. I think my record would show the opposite. It was me and Priti Patel, before the collapse of Kabul, who decided we were going to accelerate bringing people back who were under threat …
“People hadn’t come out before. And we made sure that we did this. I think what Johnny fails to grasp is quite the massive scale of collapse that happened very quickly in Afghanistan, leaving people at risk, and we had to do our very best.”
Former veterans minister criticses ‘hapless’ Afghan resettlement failures
10:59 , Jabed AhmedFormer veterans minister Johnny Mercer has criticised the “hapless display of incompetence” by the British government over the Afghan resettlement scheme.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Mercer revealed how officials leaked sensitive data about Afghan allies online, describing it as “mind-boggling” but unsurprising given years of systemic failure.
Mr Mercer, who led an Afghan task force under then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, blamed successive ministers and civil servants for blocking former Afghan special forces from coming to the UK – even after many had risked their lives alongside British troops.
He said he was left “furious, sad and bitter” at a process that allowed thousands with “tenuous links” to the UK while leaving commandos like his former colleague Naveed trapped under Taliban threat.
The former minister accused the Ministry of Defence of rejecting applications without explanation and described the entire system as chaotic, adding: “Short of hiring a Land Rover and going for it, I’m running out of ideas.”
“I feel furious, sad and bitter about the whole thing,” he wrote, adding that “we’ve let into this country thousands with little or tenuous links to the UK, and still some Afghan special forces… remain trapped in Afghanistan, Pakistan or worse, Iran.”
Watch | Healey: ‘No justification’ for ‘most’ names in Afghan data leak to claim asylum in Britain
10:47 , Jabed AhmedWatch | Inside the two-year battle to reveal MoD data breach that put 100,000 lives at risk
10:31 , Jabed AhmedOur Social Affairs Correspondent Holly Bancroft reports:
Inside the two-year battle to reveal MoD data breach that put 100,000 lives at risk
Starmer has worked to ‘cultivate’ relationship with Trump, says minister
10:14 , Jabed AhmedSir Keir Starmer has put a “lot of effort” in to “cultivate” a relationship with US President Donald Trump, a Cabinet ally of the Prime Minister has said.
With Mr Trump having said he will meet Sir Keir in Aberdeen later this month during a private visit to Scotland, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said holding talks with the president is the “right thing to do”.
He said US tariffs and the situation in Ukraine could be on the agenda for those discussions.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney will also meet the president – who recently voiced his support for the oil and gas sector over wind power projects.
Mr Murray said: “At this stage we have no sight of what the president’s programme is, but we do know the First Minister and the Prime Minister will meet him, and it is right for them both to do so.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the Scottish Secretary added the meetings are “the right thing to do because those relationships are incredibly important in terms of our own national interest”.
He added: “We should make sure we are working very closely with our allies for the benefit of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.”
Not our finest hour: When Britain’s allies put their lives on the line, we abandoned them – and covered it up
09:57 , Jabed AhmedOur World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes:
Perfidious Albion, in modern terms, means that when it comes to international affairs, Britain is seen as treacherous and unreliable – and has turned mendacity into an art.
Students of imperial history will recall the hundreds of treaties signed with local chiefs, kings and leaders that were waved aside in the interests of the empire.
The French call their deep distrust of Les Anglo-Saxons “Fashoda syndrome” – named after a sordid episode of British duplicity that delivered an obscure bit of southern Sudan to the UK in the 19th century, and triggered the enduring distrust of our closest neighbour up to this day.
Now we have the Kabul cock-up. It will inevitably serve to undermine Britain’s woeful and feeble international reputation – and drive some of those who have been betrayed into the arms of our enemies.
Read the full article below:
Not our finest hour: Britain’s allies risked it all – and we abandoned them
Live: Work and Pensions minister Liz Kendall quizzed by MPs on welfare reform bill
09:44 , Jabed AhmedSir Ben Wallace says he takes complete responsibility
09:31 , Archie MitchellSir Ben Wallace, who was defence secretary when the data breach happened, has said he takes complete responsibility for the leak.
Asked why the official responsible for the leak is still employed by the government, Sir Ben said: “I take complete responsibility for the mistake that was made by that person... I was secretary of state for defence”.
Read more here:
Ben Wallace takes ‘complete responsibility’ for Afghan leak — but defends injunction
John Healey: ‘Superinjunction lifting means lower cost and greater transparency’
09:26 , Archie MitchellJohn Healey has said there will be a lower cost to taxpayers and greater transparency about who is coming to the UK after the lifting of the superinjunction.
Asked whether he had misled parliament in the past, the defence secretary told Times Radio: “I'm comfortable that I've not misled people. But you know, parliamentary accountability started yesterday with my statement and the House of Commons and their committees will have the chance to examine former ministers and the decisions they took.
“They'll have a chance to examine me and the decisions that I took. And the important thing about the decision I took and announced to Parliament yesterday is that there will be fewer Afghans coming into this country as a result. There'll be a lower cost to British taxpayers and there is greater transparency now.”
Liz Truss ‘shocked’ by Afghan cover-up
09:26 , Archie MitchellLiz Truss has said she is shocked by the government’s superinjunction to hide a secret relocation programme for Afghans put at risk by an MoD data breach.
The former prime minister, who was also foreign secretary when the data breach occurred, said: “I am shocked by the secrecy and cover-up over the admission of thousands of Afghans to Britain at the cost of £7bn to the taxpayer. A decision that was in itself wrong.“It is a huge betrayal of public trust.
“Those responsible in both Governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account.”
Farage should show sex offence evidence to the police, Healey says
09:23 , Archie MitchellJohn Healey has said he cannot account for every individual in the UK, but that if Nigel Farage has evidence of sex offences being committed by Afghan migrants he should show it to the police.
The Reform UK leader said: “Among the number who have come are convicted sex offenders. I am not, I promise you, making any of this up.”He did not offer any evidence to support the claim.
And Mr Healey told Times Radio: “I can't account for individuals that are here. No doubt some of them have committed some offences and got into trouble. That's true right across the board.”
He added: “If he's got hard evidence of individuals that pose a risk, he needs to report that information to the police...We run security checks about the backgrounds of those individuals and where they pose those sorts of threats, they're prevented from coming and denied access to Britain."
Defence secretary: Easy option may have been to continue cover-up
09:23 , Archie MitchellThe defence secretary has said the easy option would have been to keep a gagging order in place, but said there can be no democracy with superinjunctions active.
John Healey praised the work he had done to allow the lifting of the gagging order on the secret relocation scheme for those affected by the catastrophic leaking of personal data by the Ministry of Defence.
He said without the report he commissioned, the order would not have been lifted.And he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “You cannot have democracy with super injunctions in place.”
He added: “Quite honestly, if I'd been concerned to protect my position rather than confront the hard realities, the policies and the obligation to taxpayers, it could have been much easier to simply allow this scheme to continue with the superinjunction in place, because nobody would hear anything about it.
“I wouldn't be subject to this sort of cross examination on your program, or, as I was in parliament yesterday for nearly two hours in the House of Commons chamber.”
