A secret scheme moved thousands of Afghans to the UK after a data breach that exposed nearly 19,000 people’s personal details in February 2022. The British government set up a new resettlement scheme nine months later and has seen 4,500 Afghans arrive in the UK so far.
The leak, which occurred when an unnamed MoD official emailed a spreadsheet outside authorized systems, contained sensitive information including names, contact details, and family info of individuals at risk from the Taliban. The government learned of the breach in August 2023 but kept it secret until a High Court judge lifted a super-injunction stopping public disclosure.
The scheme, officially called the Afghan Relocation Route, has cost £400m so far, with an additional £400m to £450m expected. It aims to relocate Afghan soldiers and their family members still in Afghanistan.
A Defence Secretary John Healey offered a sincere apology to those whose details were leaked, describing it as “one of many data losses” related to the Afghanistan evacuation. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also apologized on behalf of her party, saying someone made a “terrible mistake” that led to names being put out there.
A High Court judgment revealed that some of those who saw parts of the leaked document may have been Taliban infiltrators or spoke about it to Taliban-aligned individuals. The review found it was “highly unlikely” an individual would be targeted solely because of the leaked data, but warned of a potential “scrutiny vacuum”.
The government has declined to say how many people may have been arrested or killed as a result of the data breach. Those relocated to the UK are already counted in immigration figures. The scheme is being closed down, but relocation offers will be honored for those who remain in Afghanistan.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg8zy78787o