ROS WYNNE JONES: 'Every Afghan hero deserves a UK passport. This country has failed them'
We owed them our loyalty and their safety.
Thousands of brave Afghans who fought alongside British troops, translated for our officials, and worked for Britain before the Taliban swept back into power.
Instead – having abandoned their country in a dishonourable, chaotic retreat – it can now be revealed that we betrayed our Afghan allies once again. This time when a British military official accidentally disclosed the personal details of more than 33,000 people, putting them at risk of murderous reprisals.
This scandal was covered up by the Conservative government while 18,500 Afghans whose data was compromised were flown to Britain as part of a peacetime evacuation mission. It was the right thing to do to avoid catastrophic loss of life. But, in the wake of disinformation following the Southport murders, men, women and children were then retraumatised by riots sweeping across the country where they had come to seek sanctuary.
These are people whose sacrifice has more than earned them a British passport. But instead of a thank you – the communities they were now living in faced petrol bombs, screaming crowds and their accommodation being set on fire in last summer's riots.
During the worst outbreak of racial violence in the UK for decades, we now know areas with larger Afghan resettlement numbers were targeted. Even now, there are fears of copycat rioting greeting the news of the covert operation to bring these people to safety.
The smallest of the lessons we need to learn from this sorry tale is about keeping data safe. We need a new way forward for communities in our country, a properly funded, grown up political strategy that addresses the tensions and division the Tories encouraged to fester. The alternative is rule by a racist mob.
Thousands of Afghans have been living quietly in our country unable to tell their neighbours they had to come to the UK because our government put them in danger.
Today, the super-injunction protecting the story behind the Afghans' secret evacuation has ended – and it is time for Britain to say sorry. Not just sorry for disclosing their identity. Not just sorry for abandoning their country and prioritising flights of dogs and cats while ministers were on a sun lounger.
But thank you for their courage and sacrifice – and sorry for the welcome we gave them.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
From 'obsolete' to the 'opposite of that': Trump changes tune on NATO
"It was very unfair because the United States paid for almost a hundred percent of it, but now they're paying their own bills, and I think that's much better," Trump told the BBC. "We changed NATO a lot," he added. Trump gave the interview after an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The pair announced a plan for Europe to pay the United States for weapons that the alliance ships to Ukraine. Trump issued an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the meeting, saying he has 50 days to make peace with Ukraine or he'll face economic punishment. NATO latest: Trump to send Ukraine weapons through NATO, threatens secondary tariffs on Russia Trump told the BBC later that he was disappointed with Putin but not done negotiating with the Russian leader, whom he suggested he does not trust. He told the British network he thought he had a deal with Putin to end the war four times. "And then you go home, and you see, just attacked a nursing home or something in Kyiv. I said: 'What the hell was that all about?'"
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Former defence secretary makes ‘no apology' for Afghan injunction
Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of a secret £850 million scheme set up in the wake of the breach. Sir Ben Wallace has said that the decision to apply for the gagging order was 'not as some are childishly trying to claim, a cover up' and that he believed that if the leak had been reported it would have 'put in peril those we needed to help out'. It came as Defence Secretary John Healey said that the person involved was 'no longer doing the same job'. A dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) was released 'in error' in February 2022 by a defence official. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the breach when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was made at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban finding out about the leak. Writing in the Telegraph, Sir Ben said that when he was informed of the 'error' he was 'determined that the first priority was to protect all those that might be at risk'. 'I make no apology for applying to the court for an injunction at the time. It was not, as some are childishly trying to claim, a cover up,' he said. 'I took the view that if this leak was reported at the time, the existence of the list would put in peril those we needed to help out. 'Some may disagree but imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list. I would dread to think what would have happened.' Sir Ben left office shortly after the then-government became aware of the breach, having announced some time earlier that he intended to step down as defence secretary. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost around £400 million so far, with a projected cost once completed of around £850 million. A total of around 6,900 people expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. It is understood that the unnamed official had emailed the dataset outside of a secure government system while attempting to verify information, believing the dataset to only have around 150 rows. However, there were more than 33,000 rows of information which were inadvertently sent. Downing Street declined to say on Tuesday whether the official involved had faced disciplinary action or was still employed by the Government. Mr Healey later told the News Agents podcast that 'they are no longer doing the same job on the Afghan brief' and that 'this is bigger than the actions of a single individual'. Pushed on whether anybody had lost their job, Mr Healey said: 'I'm actually not going to get into the personnel matters.' The injunction was in place for almost two years – covering Labour and Conservative governments. Mr Healey offered a 'sincere apology' on behalf of the Government in the Commons on Tuesday, and said he had been 'deeply uncomfortable' in being unable to speak about it in Parliament. Kemi Badenoch also said sorry on behalf of the Conservatives. Speaking to LBC on Tuesday evening, the Tory leader was asked whether she would apologise on behalf of the Conservatives who were in office at the time of the breach. She said: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there… and we are sorry for that. 'That should not happen. And this is one of the tough things about, you know, being a minister, which is why even the Government – the Labour Government, now this didn't happen when they were in power – they are apologising as well.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Afghans prioritised over veterans for housing, ex-soldiers fear
Afghans given asylum as a result of the worst data leak in British history have been prioritised for housing at the expense of former soldiers, veterans believe. Initially put up in hotels and military bases, asylum seekers can become eligible for council housing after nine months in the UK. However, the housing system is at breaking point, with local authority waiting lists at record levels across the country. Tenants include the disabled, victims of domestic violence, people leaving care and benefits claimants, as well as veterans. Under the Armed Forces Covenant, the Government and local authorities are committed to helping military families, including former personnel, access housing, healthcare and education. But veterans have voiced fears that an influx of Afghans is making it more difficult for them to secure accommodation. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Britain was secretly relocating nearly 24,000 Afghan soldiers and their families to the UK after their identities were published online, putting them at risk of Taliban reprisals. The Government will spend £7 billion bringing them to Britain over five years, with 18,500 already flown in. Berkshire, Lancashire and Scotland According to court documents, Afghans have been sent to Bracknell in Berkshire, Preston in Lancashire, Aberdeen in Scotland, and Cardiff in Wales. Others were sent to West Sussex and Yorkshire, while plans were afoot for hotels to be opened up to them in the North East, East Anglia and the East Midlands. Some of the Afghans sent to Bracknell under the scheme were housed in a four-star hotel, given free English lessons and received medical treatment from the NHS. But the area's Labour-run council, which is responsible for housing the homeless, reportedly did not provide a home for George Ford, a Parachute Regiment veteran left suffering from PTSD after being shot during a tour of Afghanistan. Speaking last month before the data leak was made public, Mr Ford said he had been left at 'rock bottom' by his inability to secure housing. 'I think it's really important to highlight that there's nothing wrong with us opening our doors to these people,' he told GB News. 'They were under the ruling from the Taliban, and they were being brutalised under horrific acts.' The veteran, who has been sleeping on friends' sofas while looking for a permanent home, added: 'But ultimately, we need to prioritise the local residents. I'm not the definition of a homeless person. I'm not living in a tent, I've still got a family and the support around me that love me and care for me, but ultimately, I need my own place.' 'They're entitled to sanctuary' Some local politicians have discussed how large intakes of new arrivals can put pressure on already-stretched services, such as GP practices. John Edwards, an independent town councillor in Bracknell, said veterans unable to secure housing felt 'betrayed', along with other needy residents, such as single mothers. 'Anyone who served our armed forces – including Afghans – should be entitled to sanctuary here,' he said. 'My criticism is the policy not the people, they should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity, but there clearly isn't enough infrastructure here for residents or veterans, so these schemes need to be thought about.' While he stressed that he had no reason to believe Afghan refugees were being pushed ahead in the housing queue – unless individual circumstances such as medical conditions meant they should be prioritised – the councillor said veteran homelessness 'isn't fair'. Veterans can struggle to find a home after leaving the forces because they are not fast-tracked on council homeless lists, unlike asylum seekers. But with one in 400 veterans found to be homeless, rough sleeping or living in a refuge for domestic abuse in a government survey this year, concerns are being raised that the current system is not sustainable. Terry Reed, who runs the charity Boxing for Veterans, said: 'I think [Afghans] should get help, especially the ones that have assisted the UK forces, because some of their intelligence would have saved lives. 'But I still think our veterans should get first priority. A lot of veterans do feel let down.' Housed in barracks Hundreds of Afghans were housed at Cameron Barracks, on the outskirts of Inverness, Scotland, until May this year as part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), under which those who helped British forces in the war against the Taliban could apply to come to the UK. Cllr Duncan McDonald, a former British Army major who served in Afghanistan, claimed that Afghan refugees had been prioritised ahead of veterans in the Highland city. 'I think there is every reason to believe that has happened,' the retired Royal Corps of Logistics officer said. 'The refugees had a different status. 'There is a big housing shortage in the Highlands for everyone. I would like to see veterans given more priority, but I do understand the difficulty of that.' Unlike most veterans, Afghans unable to pay for a private tenancy would probably be eligible for 'priority' emergency accommodation and long-term housing when their Government-funded accommodation ended after nine months, according to homeless charity Shelter. This is because their escape from Afghanistan would cause them to be classed as 'vulnerable'. Many Afghans coming to the UK are initially housed in hotels, despite Sir Keir Starmer pledging to end their use by 2029. A total of 32,000 migrants are currently living in such accommodation, at an estimated cost of £2.8 billion a year. The hotels have been widely criticised because of their cost and impact on community cohesion. While many staying in migrant hotels do not cause any problems or upset, some residents have reported feeling less safe alongside the new arrivals. Earlier this week, protesters gathered outside a hotel housing migrants in Epping, Essex, where an Ethiopian accused of committing three sexual assaults eight days after arriving in the UK, is currently based. Asylum hotels were widely targeted in the disorder which erupted after the Southport massacre last year. According to court documents, Conservative ministers in the previous government gave a 'strong steer' that the incoming Afghans should not be housed in hotels. At one point under the scheme, 20 per cent of all Ministry of Defence (MoD) property – primarily houses built for serving armed forces personnel – was given over to housing the Afghans. However, the Government has estimated that as many as 10 per cent of the new arrivals may at some point enter the 'homelessness system'. The migrants have been spirited out of the Taliban-controlled country to Islamabad in neighbouring Pakistan, given security and health checks and then flown on charter flights to Stansted Airport in Essex and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. A spokesman for the MoD said: 'This Government is committed to renewing the nation's contract with those who have served and is delivering at pace on veterans' housing; including removing the local connection requirement for veterans seeking social housing in England and [providing] an extra £3.5 million for homelessness services. 'The Prime Minister announced new legislation to put the Armed Forces community, including veterans, at the heart of government decision-making. 'And we are creating Op Valour, a first-of-its-kind, UK-wide support system, to ensure Veterans have access to joined-up health, housing and employment services, regardless of where they live.' A spokesman for Bracknell Forest council said: 'The Afghan families are in transitional accommodation, not council-provided housing. This scheme does not impact the local housing list. Our housing policy requires a two-year residency to qualify.'
