MoD chief to leave in wake of Afghan data breach
The BBC understands Williams' departure was agreed before the leak became public.The leak happened when an official working at UK Special Forces headquarters accidentally emailed out a spreadsheet containing the personal details of almost 19,000 people seeking refuge from the Taliban.Along with the Afghan nationals, the details of more than 100 British officials were compromised, including special forces and MI6 personnel, in February 2022.An injunction blocked reporting of the matter until it was lifted earlier this summer.Labour MP and chairman of the defence select committee, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, said Mr Williams' "many years of dedicated public service deserve respect", notwithstanding the seriousness of the leak."While our committee has agreed to inquire into this shocking situation, we have yet to determine the full scope for that, including who will be called to give evidence," he added."The fact that this breach has put at risk our courageous British service personnel and the Afghans who bravely supported them, makes the situation even more shocking."I am sure the committee will want to investigate and understand how this could have been allowed to happen."An MoD spokesperson said on Friday: "Permanent Secretary David Williams will step down this autumn and the recruitment process for his successor is under way."Since 2021, David has led the department through a period of significant activity, and we thank him for his contribution."
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Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Iran asks Taliban for ‘kill list' so it can hunt down MI6 spies
Leaders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards have asked the Taliban for access to a leaked list of Afghans who helped Britain so they can hunt down MI6 spies. The Tehran regime hopes to examine the list of nearly 25,000 Afghans who worked with British forces as they seek leverage with the West ahead of nuclear negotiations this autumn. The so-called 'kill list' contains the names of Afghans who were applying for asylum, including soldiers who had worked with the British Army, intelligence assets and special forces. Some are believed to have subsequently fled to Iran. In a sign that the two sides are already collaborating, at least one Afghan whose name was allegedly on the list has been deported from Iran to Kabul in the past few days. A senior Iranian official in Tehran confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had formally requested that the Taliban government share the leaked list. It is understood that MI6 intelligence assets will take priority in the search. He said: 'On the Iranian side, there are also efforts to find the list, with a special committee assigned for it. There have been discussions on cooperation between Tehran and Kabul on this issue as it can help both countries for negotiations with the West.' The Telegraph understands that Taliban leadership in Kandahar has also ordered officers in Kabul to arrest as many individuals as possible from the leaked document to use them as leverage in exerting diplomatic pressure on London. The database was accidentally leaked in February 2022 when a Royal Marine emailed the complete file to Afghan contacts in Britain instead of sending a small extract. The spreadsheet contained names, telephone numbers and email addresses of Afghan soldiers, government workers and family members who applied to relocate to Britain under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy after the 2021 Western military withdrawal. The list also included identities of more than 100 British special forces personnel and MI6 operatives who had vouched for Afghan applicants. A Taliban government official told The Telegraph that they obtained the spreadsheet in 2022. Speaking to this newspaper last month, he said: 'After the reports were published in England, it became clear how significant this leak was. The order is to arrest as many individuals as possible to use them as a tool of diplomatic pressure against England.' The IRGC's demand comes after Britain, France and Germany threatened Tehran with a so-called snapback mechanism, which would restore UN Security Council resolutions against Iran, if no progress is made on negotiations over its nuclear programme by August 30. The most significant resolution that would return is 1929, adopted in June 2010, which expanded sanctions beyond technical nuclear restrictions to target Iran's broader economy. The resolution required all UN members to take 'all necessary measures' to enforce Iran's enrichment ban and ballistic missile restrictions. Iran has refused to abandon uranium enrichment that could ultimately lead to a nuclear weapon, despite a bombing campaign by Israel and the US last month. Iranian authorities want to check borders and detain Afghans in Iran whose names appear on the list, with particular focus on those who worked as intelligence operatives, according to the Iranian official. He said: 'There is an urgency to find as many of them as possible before the snapback deadlines arrive to use them as backdoor bargaining tools.' A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: 'We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and personnel, particularly those in sensitive positions, always have appropriate measures in place to protect their security. 'The independent Rimmer Review concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet means an individual is more likely to be targeted, and this is the basis on which the court lifted its super-injunction.' David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, is prepared to trigger sanctions against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, The Telegraph revealed last year. The UK remains a participant in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and can unilaterally force a return to sanctions if it considers Iran has violated the deal's terms. At least one Afghan whose name appeared on the leaked list, and who had escaped to Iran after the leak, was detained for deportation on Friday. His son was ill, and his wife and two daughters remained in Iran, the deported man said, 'unable even to go out and buy bread.' 'They arrested me on the street, handcuffed me, and sent me to a deportation camp,' he told The Telegraph from Kabul. 'I pleaded with them. I told them my life would be in danger in Afghanistan. I shouted, 'Where are human rights?' But they didn't care. They sent me straight to the border.' 'They can come and kill me any moment' He questioned whether the Government was truly unaware of what was happening in Iran. 'There are many people like me there – being deported, being arrested,' he said. 'The British know all of this. If they wanted to help, they would've done it already. But they don't want to.' Now in Kabul, he said he was constantly on the move, hiding in a different place each night, afraid for his own safety and for his family left behind in Iran. 'They can come and kill me any moment,' he said. 'But it doesn't matter to anyone any more. That's just my life now.' He expressed bitter frustration over the UK's resettlement priorities. 'I hope the Brits are happy – they took cooks and masseurs to Britain, but those who lost their eyes serving British forces, and many more are left behind,' he said. 'Maybe that's what they wanted. I just regret not realising it sooner.' He asked how it was possible that the Government – 'once rulers of half the world – could remain blind to the situation'. 'They took cooks, but left behind generals and colonels,' he said. 'What kind of logic is that?' The Telegraph has revealed that former Taliban members were brought to the UK on British evacuation flights from Afghanistan after the leak. The individuals were flown out for their safety, but among them were suspected jihadists, sex offenders, corrupt officials, and people previously jailed by US-led forces – raising concerns over poor vetting. Insiders say some Afghans are also exploiting a family reunion scheme set up after the leak and are using it to enter the UK under false pretences. The Telegraph understands that evacuated migrants are offering people in Afghanistan help to get to Britain, including fake family links for up to £20,000 per person. Iran is using espionage allegations against Afghans as a pretext for the mass arrests and deportations following the recent conflict with Israel. The Telegraph spoke to Afghans in Iran, at the border, and in Afghanistan, who said the regime in Tehran was targeting them to divert public attention from its 'humiliation' by Israel in last month's 12-day war. During the conflict, daily deportations jumped from 2,000 to over 30,000 as Iranian authorities turned public anger toward the vulnerable minority. Those persecuted by the regime also reported suffering widespread abuses including beatings and arbitrary detention. The Government imposed a super-injunction in September 2023 preventing media coverage of the data breach, which has been described as one of the most damaging intelligence leaks in recent history. The injunction was extended before last year's election, despite a judge's decision to lift it in May 2024. Johnny Mercer, the former Conservative veterans minister who served in Afghanistan, called the leak 'gut-wrenching.' The Government established an emergency scheme called the Afghanistan Response Route in March 2024 to airlift people named in the breach to the UK. The total relocation program for Afghans could cost up to £7bn of taxpayers' money.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Planned Palestine Action protest will not try to overwhelm police
A campaign group has denied that its planned mass protest in support of Palestine Action will try to overwhelm the police and justice system. The Metropolitan Police and other forces nationwide have warned anyone found to be expressing support for Palestine Action will be arrested, following the Government's decision to ban the organisation last month. Defend Our Juries said it planned to bring together at least 500 people for its planned demonstration against the ban on Saturday with organisers 'very confident' they have recruited enough participants, a spokesperson for the campaign group said. A formal announcement will be made on Tuesday as to whether that figure has been reached and the demonstration will go ahead. More then 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month, as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries. Many of the protesters were detained after writing and holding up the message 'I oppose genocide I support Palestine Action' on placards or pieces of cardboard. A Defend Our Juries spokesperson told the PA news agency: 'It is wrong to characterise this (planned demonstration) as a plan to overwhelm the police and court systems. 'If we are allowed to protest peacefully and freely, then that is no bother to anyone.' In a further statement on its website, the campaign group said the Government had 'overreached itself' by banning Palestine Action and it was 'vital' that its campaign succeeded. 'Our groups and movements are coming together like never before, finding unity under repression,' it added. 'By refusing to give into fear and by standing together, we will face down this assault on us all.' No location for the protest has so far been shared, but it is understood that it will take place in London and will be the only demonstration that Defend Our Juries organises on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police said it would have 'the resources and processes in place to respond' to the planned large gathering. A force spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. 'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' Those interested in joining the demonstration have been asked to come to briefing calls on Tuesday or Thursday, while some have had non-violence training arranged for them, Defend Our Juries said. The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident it subsequently claimed, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'. A High Court ruling on Wednesday decided that Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori had several 'reasonably arguable' beliefs in her challenge over the group's ban that would be heard at a three-day hearing in November, but a bid to pause the ban temporarily was refused. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer pays tribute after death of ex-Labour general secretary Tom Sawyer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has led tributes following the death of former Labour Party general secretary Lord Tom Sawyer. He said the former trade unionist's 'place in our party's history is assured' as one of the leading figures in the build-up to the 1997 general election success. Lord Sawyer had been one of the key figures in the New Labour era and was credited with helping to steer through the reforms to the party in the run-up to Tony Blair's landslide win. Sir Keir said: 'I am deeply sorry to hear of the death of Tom Sawyer. From the factory floor to the House of Lords, he was driven throughout his life by an unrelenting belief in the dignity of working people and opportunity for all. 'As a trade unionist, he drove that mission forward. As general secretary of the Labour Party, he was integral to delivering the victory in 1997 that transformed the nation. 'His place in our party's history is assured and his loss will be felt deeply by the many people who admired and loved him. 'My thoughts are with his family at this time.' Lord Sawyer served as Labour's general secretary from 1994 until 1998 when he stood down and was made a peer as Lord Sawyer of Darlington. Before becoming Labour's general secretary he served as deputy general secretary of the National Union of Public Employees and deputy general secretary of Unison. Labour's current general secretary Hollie Ridley said: 'Lord Tom Sawyer served the Labour Party and Labour movement with distinction. 'As general secretary, member of the National Executive Committee and as a trade unionist, he played a significant role in the transformation of our party from years in opposition before leading Labour through the 1997 landslide general election victory. 'Tom's legacy is the legacy of those great Labour governments that rebuilt Britain's public services, lifted millions out of poverty and delivered change to the lives of people throughout his beloved north east of England. 'On behalf of the whole Labour Party, I send my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who were close to him.'
