Sir Keir Starmer has asserted that former Conservative ministers have “serious questions to answer” regarding a data breach that compromised the personal details of thousands of Afghans who had supported British forces.
The Prime Minister stated that the current government inherited several issues, including a super-injunction that restricted reporting of the breach and a “secret route” for affected individuals to enter the UK, which has “already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.”
In February 2022, a British official mistakenly leaked the details of approximately 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the UK following the Taliban’s takeover.
The previous administration became aware of this breach in August 2023, when the information was posted on Facebook.
Sir Ben Wallace, who served as Defence Secretary at the time, stated that the Conservative government sought a four-month injunction upon learning of the breach. A judge subsequently converted this into a super-injunction, preventing any reporting on the court order’s existence.
The super-injunction was lifted on Tuesday following a review.
Sir Ben, who left his position at the end of August 2023 and was succeeded by Grant Shapps, stated that he makes “no apology” for seeking the initial injunction.
He insisted that this was “not a cover-up” but rather a measure to safeguard Afghans who could be at risk.
Speaking at the commencement of Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir stated: “There’s always been support across this House for the United Kingdom fulfilling our obligations to Afghans who served alongside British forces.
“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.”
An emergency resettlement scheme, the Afghanistan Response Route, was established in April 2024 for those affected by the breach. To date, it has facilitated the arrival of 4,500 Afghans in the UK.
The scheme has incurred costs of £400 million, with a projected final cost of approximately £850 million. A total of 6,900 individuals are expected to enter the UK under this initiative, which has now concluded.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates that 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, along with 1,800 of their family members, remain in Afghanistan.
The existence of the scheme was only disclosed to the public following the High Court’s lifting of the super-injunction.
Explaining the decision, Mr. Justice Chamberlain stated that the MoD’s internal review found the Taliban “likely already possess the key information in the dataset,” and confirming its existence was unlikely to “substantially” increase the risk faced by those affected.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle informed the House of Commons that the super-injunction raised “significant constitutional issues.”
Given that MPs were unaware of the breach, it could not be raised in the Commons or scrutinized by a parliamentary committee.
BBC News understands that ministers determined last autumn that they needed to examine whether to lift the super-injunction.
A judge had lifted the super-injunction in May 2024, the day before Rishi Sunak called the general election, but the then-Conservative government successfully appealed that decision.
Labour ministers are also facing scrutiny regarding the decision to maintain the super-injunction.
Downing Street defended the government’s decision to apply for the super-injunction to be extended, stating “there was significant work that needed to be done” to assess the situation.
A review assessing the possibility of lifting the super-injunction formally commenced in January.
The daughter of an Afghan translator whose details were leaked told the BBC’s Newsnight program that her entire family “panicked” upon learning of the breach.
“No one knows where the data has been sent to – it could be sent to the Taliban, they could have their hands on it,” she said.
Her grandmother, who remains in Afghanistan, is “completely vulnerable,” she added.
Asif Khan – not his real name – participated in joint operations with the British Army against the Taliban.
He was brought to the UK six weeks ago from Islamabad, after being told to move from Afghanistan to Pakistan to be evacuated.
Asif, who was emailed about the data breach on Tuesday, said he feared for the safety of his family, particularly his brothers.
“I really wish nothing [happens] to them since they were not part of any military operation with me,” he told the BBC.
“I have many colleagues [who] fought with us shoulder to shoulder but they [are] left in Afghanistan – I am particularity concerned about them now.”
In other developments:
Downing Street has not commented on whether the official responsible for the leak has faced disciplinary action, but they no longer hold the same position.
Both Defence Secretary John Healey and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch have issued apologies on behalf of their respective parties for the breach.
The leak, which occurred after the withdrawal of US and UK troops from Afghanistan in 2021, involved the names of individuals who had applied to enter the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme.
The scheme was available to Afghans who collaborated with the UK government, as well as their family members, and feared reprisals from the Taliban.
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The revelation of a major data leak and subsequent relocation of thousands of Afghans to the UK has raised serious questions.
The BBC’s Tom Symonds examines the controversy surrounding the breach, which was kept hidden for years.
Details of nearly 19,000 people who wanted to leave Afghanistan were mistakenly leaked three years ago.
The existence of the scheme could not be reported until now because of a court injunction.
The BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner analyses the leak of Afghan citizens’ data and the fallout.