Thousands of Afghans and families brought to UK after data breach: minister

-/PRU/AFP Photo by – /PRU/AFPArticle contentLondon (AFP) — Thousands of Afghans who worked with the UK government and their families were brought to Britain in a secret programme after a 2022 data breach put their lives at risk, a minister revealed Tuesday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentDefence Minister John Healey unveiled the scheme to parliament after the UK High Court on Tuesday lifted a super-gag order banning reports of the events.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentIn February 2022 a spreadsheet containing the names and details of almost 19,000 Afghans who had asked to be relocated to Britain was accidentally leaked by a UK official just six months after the Taliban seized Kabul, Healey said.Article content“This was a serious departmental error,” Healey said, adding “lives may have been at stake”.Article contentThe previous Conservative government put in place a secret programme to help those “judged to be at the highest risk of reprisals by the Taliban”, he said.Article contentSome 900 Afghans and 3,600 family members have now been brought to Britain or are in transit under the programme known as the Afghan Response Route at a cost of around £400 million, Healey said.Article contentThey are among some 36,000 Afghans who have been accepted by Britain under different schemes since the August 2021 fall of Kabul.Article contentAs Labour’s opposition defence spokesman Healey was briefed on the scheme in December 2023, but the Conservative government asked a court to impose a “super-injunction” banning any mention of it in parliament or by the press.Article contentArticle contentWhen Labour came to power in July 2024, the scheme was in full swing, but Healey said he had been “deeply uncomfortable to be constrained from reporting to this House”.Article contentArticle content“Ministers decided not to tell parliamentarians at an earlier stage about the data incident, as the widespread publicity would increase the risk of the Taliban obtaining the dataset,” he added.Article contentHealey set up a review of the scheme on becoming defence minister in the new Labour government. This concluded there was “very little intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution”.Article contentThe Afghan Response Route has now been closed, the minister said, apologising for the data breach which “should never have happened.”Article content© 2025 AFPArticle content