Thousands of Afghans and families brought to UK after data breach: minister
In 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.
"This was a serious departmental error," Healey said, adding "lives may have been at stake".
The 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.
Some 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.
They are among some 36,000 Afghans who have been accepted by Britain under different schemes since the August 2021 fall of Kabul.
As 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.
When 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".
"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.
Healey 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".
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Syrians protest Sweida killings in London, Paris
In central London, around 80 protesters chanted "God protect Druze" and "Stop supporting Jolani", referring to Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's nom de guerre, which he had abandoned after his Islamist group seized Damascus late last year. Demonstrators in the British capital held up placards calling for an end to the deadly violence in Sweida and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened up via the Jordanian border. More than 900 people have been killed in the Druze-majority province since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslim, have drawn in the Islamist-led government as well as Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. In London, protest organiser Emad al Eismy told AFP atrocities were still going on in Sweida. "Shootings, beheadings, raping, killing children, (torching) shops, homes. It's a barbarian movement going on in Sweida," he said at the protest outside BBC headquarters. -'Like ethnic cleansing' - AFP correspondents in Sweida reported clashes on Saturday, despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said armed volunteers had been deployed with the support of the Islamist-led government. Druze fighters said those who had arrived to support the Bedouin were mostly Islamists. Protester Maan Radwan, who has family in Sweida, fought back tears as he said some of his relatives had died in a massacre at their guesthouse. He reproached British Foreign Secretary David Lammy for his visit to Syria earlier this month, when he met al-Sharaa. The United Nations has called for an end to the bloodshed and demanded an independent investigation of the violence. William Salha, like most of the protesters, also has family members still living in Sweida. He said they were "helpless", shut in their homes, attempting to keep themselves safe. "It's like ethnic cleansing. They want the city without its people," he said, accusing the Syrian government of complicity. A teenager from south London at the protest with his mother said multiple members of his father's family had been gunned down and killed, with the news filtering out through an aunt. "The armed groups came to them, they tried to resist and they shot them," he said. 'Where is France?' At the Paris protest, Aida Haladi wore black and clutched a picture of her 52-year-old brother whom she said was killed in front of his home Thursday morning in Sweida city. She said he had stepped out to grab some blood pressure medication he had forgotten. "He was an honest man. He never tried to hurt a soul," she said. "Where is France?" Haladi said, accusing Syria's interim president of complicity and angry at France's leader Emmanuel Macron for having hosted him in Paris in May. Hours later, France urged all sides to "strictly adhere" to the ceasefire. Eva Radwan, a 41-year-old PhD student, held up a picture of her 34-year-old cousin and his two nephews, aged 13 and 16, who she said had been shot dead inside their home. She said her parents had been forced to move houses after their neighbourhood was bombarded earlier this week. "Jolani get out, Syria is not yours," she shouted into a megaphone in front of the Eiffel Tower, leading around 20 other protesters. She also called for Jordan to open its border to let in aid. The Observatory said at least 940 people had been killed since Sunday, including 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Syria: Renewed Druze and Bedouin clashes, UN rights chief urges prompt probe
07:36 18/07/2025 Sirens wail, cities shut down as Taiwan simulates Chinese air raid 18/07/2025 Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan kill 63 people in 24 hours 18/07/2025 Child labour rises in Gaza as families struggle to survive 18/07/2025 Spain taming fire that belched smoke cloud over Madrid 18/07/2025 New clashes rock Syria's Druze heartland as tribal fighters reinforce Bedouin 18/07/2025 Germany: Top EU officials gather to discuss stricter migration measures 18/07/2025 European interior ministers gather for meeting on migration policy in Germany 18/07/2025 Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged letter to Epstein 18/07/2025 Russian deputies back fines for clicking on 'extremist' content
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Syria: Fighting between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Sweida continues
02:17 18/07/2025 Deportation dossiers: Trump's AI-driven war on immigrants and freedom of speech 18/07/2025 Tour de France: Pogacar's solo masterclass seals stage 12 victory 18/07/2025 UK lowers voting age from 18 to 16 in historic electoral reform 18/07/2025 Tomorrowland festival begins days after fire destroyed main stage 18/07/2025 Syria accuses Israel of trying to destabilise country through airstrikes 17/07/2025 Taipei holds annual air raid drill to prepare for Chinese attack Asia / Pacific 17/07/2025 Church attack will weigh 'terribly' on Gaza's Catholic community Middle East 17/07/2025 Death toll from south Syria violence rises to 594: monitor Middle East 17/07/2025 Syrian Bedouin fighters mount new offensive in Sweida against Druze fighters despite truce Middle East
