MoD to ‘robustly defend' compensation claims from Afghans in data breach case
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Government would 'robustly defend' any legal action or bid for compensation, adding these were 'hypothetical claims'.
It has also been reported that the MoD will not proactively offer compensation to those affected.
The data breach, which saw details of 18,714 applicants for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme released in 2022, prompted an unprecedented gagging order amid fears the Taliban could target would-be refugees for reprisals.
It also saw the establishment of a secret scheme, the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), to bring some of those affected to the UK.
But the MoD spokesman pointed to an independent review which found there is now little danger that appearing on the leaked spreadsheet would be enough to result in being targeted by the Taliban.
Hundreds of data protection claims are expected to be lodged, with the High Court hearing earlier this week that a Manchester-based firm already had several hundred prospective clients.
Previous Afghan data breaches led to the MoD compensating people whose details were leaked.
Earlier this month, before the superinjunction preventing reporting of the 2022 leak was lifted, armed forces minister Luke Pollard announced £1.6 million in compensation for a separate incident involving the release of Afghan nationals' data.
Mr Pollard said the MoD had agreed to pay up to £4,000 to each of the 265 people whose details were mistakenly copied into emails sent by the Government in September 2021.
That breach also saw the Government fined £350,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
But the ICO has said it will take no further action in relation to the larger 2022 breach, with Information Commissioner John Edwards saying there was 'little we could add in this case' given the 'high degree of public scrutiny' the MoD was already facing.
In total, the Government expects 6,900 people to be brought to the UK under the ARR scheme, with costs reaching £850 million.
Along with the Afghan nationals, the breach saw details of more than 100 British officials compromised, including special forces and MI6 personnel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Japan ruling party's election loss is in the price, investors say
SINGAPORE, July 21 (Reuters) - Japan's upper house election on Sunday dealt a big blow to the ruling coalition and sets markets up for possible policy paralysis and a bigger fiscal deficit, much of which is already priced in, analysts said. Exit polls after Sunday's election showed the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is likely to lose control of the upper house, thus making it a minority in both chambers of the government. Japanese markets are closed on Monday for a holiday, so the yen may be where investors get their first inkling of any disruption from the election outcome. The Japanese currency has already weakened considerably this year on expectations of changes to taxes and a bigger fiscal deficit. The election result, while not entirely a shock to markets, also comes at a tricky time for a country trying to get a tariff deal with U.S. President Donald Trump before an Aug. 1 deadline. Japanese government bonds (JGBs) plunged last week, sending yields on 30-year debt to an all-time high, while the yen slid to multi-month lows against the U.S. dollar and the euro. "I will not chase the coalition loss trades, and I suspect participants will spend some time analyzing the implications of the loss, which could take time to materialize, and also refocus attention to the trade negotiations which is another major macro risk for Japan," said Rong Ren Goh, a portfolio manager in the fixed income team at Eastspring Investments. Investors expect it will be a while before it becomes clear whether the ruling coalition intends to continue as a minority government, or draw in a new partner. Among the most likely candidates is the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), which has urged the Bank of Japan to reverse course and again loosen monetary policy. Investors are bracing for the LDP to compromise heavily to accommodate opposition parties' desire for tax cuts. Ishiba's fate also remains an unknown, although he said on Sunday he intends to stay in his position. Within the LDP, a leading candidate to replace Ishiba, should he step down, is Abenomics proponent Sanae Takaichi, who has advocated for a resumption of monetary easing by the BOJ. All three leading opposition parties back some form of consumption tax cuts, with the populist, right-wing Sanseito proposing a phase-out of VAT altogether. Those cuts would have to be paid for with increased Japanese government bond issuance. With debt about 2-1/2 times GDP, Japan is already the world's most indebted major country. "Preliminary tallies indicate that the Liberal Democratic Party–Komeito coalition will retain office only as a minority government," Shoki Omori, chief desk strategist at Mizuho Securities in Japan, said in a note. Omori also does not expect the LDP to force a leadership change, particularly while trade talks with the U.S. government are ongoing. "Against that political backdrop, prospects for an aggressive fiscal stimulus are limited....A meaningful supplementary budget, if one emerges, would not be debated until the autumn Diet session at the earliest," he wrote. If Ishiba resigns, the political uncertainty could be a trigger for foreign investors to sell Japanese shares and the yen, analysts said. Barclays analysts estimate a five percentage point cut to Japan's sales tax, currently at 10%, would lead to a 15-20 basis point increase in the 30-year yield. Japanese government 30-year yields are up 80 basis points (bps) this year and the yield curve is at its steepest in years, with the spread between 10-year and 30-year bonds above 150 bps. The yen has had a volatile first half of 2025 in a range of 140-160 per dollar. It rallied hard after the Bank of Japan's rate rise in January stoked expectations for a faster pace of monetary tightening, but has dithered since late April on political uncertainty, fractious tariff negotiations with the Donald Trump administration and the BOJ's dovishness. Long speculative positions in the yen are however still very large, making it likely that the currency will fall rapidly if Japan calls for a snap election or fiscal policy is loosened. The Nikkei 225 benchmark (.N225), opens new tab, by contrast, is up more than 11% since April 2, when Trump unveiled his global tariffs.
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hull teenagers offer view on lowering of voting age
Young people in Hull have reacted to the government's decision to lower the age of voting to the voting age from 18 to 16 means there could be over 1.5 million more potential voters at the next general Hand, 18, said she had mixed feelings about the move, adding that while she felt voting age should be in line with the age for consent, some might be "too immature". Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, said the decision "draws us into line" with Scotland and Wales, where 16-year-olds have been able to vote for a number of years. Hardy said: "To me, it makes sense. They've been able to vote from 16 in Scotland for years. They've been able to vote from 16 in Wales for years, and this draws us into line. It was something that was in our manifesto. "It's something that I spoke to people about ahead of the election, and I'm really pleased to see that we're fulfilling the promises that we made."Hardy has also spearheaded the future parliament programme, run by Hull College and the University of Hull. The scheme was launched in 2024 to help increase political awareness and engagement among young people in the city. Hull has historically had some of the lowest turnouts in the UK at general and local elections. Bethany Hand, 18, was among those who attended an event at University of Hull on Friday. She said she had mixed feelings about lowering the age of voting to 16. "If the age of consent is 16, and they can have that opinion, that choice, then they should also have the choice to vote for their future".However, she was also concerned that some 16-year-olds would be too immature. "Some of them might vote [for] the wrong person for a laugh, or parents [or] friends could pressure them into voting for someone," she said. Oscar Coupe, a university student, said he thought lowering the age limit was the correct said: "It's easy to say that 16 and 17 year olds are impressionable… but I think there's plenty of adults also very impressionable."There is not political support across the parties on lowering the voting age. Reform are against the measure and the Conservative party question why 16-year-olds will be able to vote but not "marry, go to war, or even stand in elections".Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, said her party had campaigned for a lowering of the voting age for "well over 30 years" and so welcomed the Richard Tice, MP for Boston and Skegness, said: "We think it's completely wrong that youngsters who are still legally children should be able to vote. "It's interesting that they themselves are split down the middle as to whether or not they should be given the right to vote."The next election is due to be held by August 2029 at the latest, as the maximum term for parliament is five years from when it first formed. However, the prime minster has the option of calling an early election if he chooses to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Farming union urges changes on inheritance tax plans
The head of Wales' leading farming union has written to the prime minister urging him to make changes to inheritance tax proposals, which he said are leaving older farmers "tormented with continual worry".The UK government has announced plans, beginning in April 2026, to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m at a rate of 20% - half the usual rate. NFU Cymru President Aled Jones has called on Sir Keir Starmer to "mitigate very many of the human impacts" of the proposals, while also increasing government UK government, which previously said its inheritance tax reforms were "vital", has been asked for comment on Mr Jones' appeal. Mr Jones said he felt "compelled" to write to the prime minister after being contacted by "hundreds of Welsh farming families" he said were impacted by the proposed UK government has said the changes will only affect the wealthiest 500 farms each year, but Mr Jones said he was concerned that the number of farms impacted "will be far greater than Treasury predictions".Farming unions have estimated that up to 70,000 farmers could be affected overall. Mr Jones said he was particularly concerned about the impact on older farmers, who are "tormented with the continual worry that their passing will create an unmanageable financial burden for their loved ones"."I know that no government would want to place anyone in the difficult and invidious position that many elderly farmers now find themselves in," the letter said."My view remains that an opportunity still exists for your government to mitigate very many of the human impacts of these policy proposals, whilst meeting the government's aim of raising revenue."The UK government has maintained that, under its changes, three quarters of estates would continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter would pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay.
