UK politics live: Defence minister warns ‘accountability starts now' after Afghan data breach
The dataset containing the personal information of almost 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was released in error in February 2022 by a defence official.
It triggered an operation to bring 16,000 Afghans to the UK - and saw an injunction, later upgraded to a superinjunction, issued that banned the media reporting on the leak in a bid to prevent the Taliban finding out.
Put to him that no one had yet taken accountability for what happened, Mr Healey told BBC Breakfast: 'Accountability starts now, doesn't it, because it allows the proper scrutiny of what went on, the decisions that Ben Wallace [former Tory defence secretary] took, the decisions I've taken, and the judgments… and any action or accountability that may be appropriate can follow now.'
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Ben Wallace said the decision to apply for the gagging order was 'not a cover-up' and that if the leak had been reported it would have 'put in peril those we needed to help out'.
Farage should show sex offence evidence to the police, Healey says
John Healey has said he cannot account for every individual in the UK, but that if Nigel Farage has evidence of sex offences being committed by Afghan migrants he should show it to the police.
The Reform UK leader said: 'Among the number who have come are convicted sex offenders. I am not, I promise you, making any of this up.'He did not offer any evidence to support the claim.
And Mr Healey told Times Radio: 'I can't account for individuals that are here. No doubt some of them have committed some offences and got into trouble. That's true right across the board.'
He added: 'If he's got hard evidence of individuals that pose a risk, he needs to report that information to the police...We run security checks about the backgrounds of those individuals and where they pose those sorts of threats, they're prevented from coming and denied access to Britain."
Archie Mitchell16 July 2025 09:23
Defence secretary: Easy option may have been to continue cover-up
The defence secretary has said the easy option would have been to keep a gagging order in place, but said there can be no democracy with superinjunctions active.
John Healey praised the work he had done to allow the lifting of the gagging order on the secret relocation scheme for those affected by the catastrophic leaking of personal data by the Ministry of Defence.
He said without the report he commissioned, the order would not have been lifted.And he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'You cannot have democracy with super injunctions in place.'
He added: 'Quite honestly, if I'd been concerned to protect my position rather than confront the hard realities, the policies and the obligation to taxpayers, it could have been much easier to simply allow this scheme to continue with the superinjunction in place, because nobody would hear anything about it.
'I wouldn't be subject to this sort of cross examination on your program, or, as I was in parliament yesterday for nearly two hours in the House of Commons chamber.'
Archie Mitchell16 July 2025 09:23
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK working on plans to air drop aid into Gaza, PM says
The UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed in a call with French and German counterparts. The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Saturday it was allowing UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops, and that it had reconnected power to a desalination plant into the territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said airdrops can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 'airdrops of aid will resume' including 'seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food'. It said it would allow 'safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The state also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. US President Donald Trump has suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter'. The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. Ceasefire talks have been at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's opposite number Dame Priti Patel said she had 'repeatedly pressed' him on 'what specific and deliverable solutions he is trying to advance on aid'. 'The British Government needs to be leveraging its influence and the UK's considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,' she said. 'The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. 'Diplomacy is about finding solutions, not just issuing condemnations.' Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK said recognising Palestinian statehood would 'reward' hostage-taking and killing by Hamas. 'Recognising a Palestinian state in a post-October 7 reality would be nothing less than a reward for terrorism,' she wrote in the Telegraph.
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man due in court charged with murder after teenage boy dies in crash
A 59-year-old man is due in court charged with the murder of a teenage boy who died in a crash. Devon Simmonds-Caines, 15, died in the collision between a car and an electric bike in Middleton, Greater Manchester, just before midday on July 22. Terrence King, of Middleton, has been charged with murder and is due to appear at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday. The force said another 15-year-old boy who had been arrested on suspicion of theft in relation to the same incident was bailed pending further inquiries. In a statement, Devon's family said that he was an 'outgoing, bubbly person' who 'only wanted the best for everyone around him'. They added: 'This has shocked the whole family. It was a tragic incident that should never have happened that we don't want to tarnish Devon's legacy.' Chief Inspector Jennifer Partington, from Greater Manchester Police's Rochdale district, said online footage claimed to show events before the incident is not currently linked to the investigation. She urged the public not to share it or speculate.
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Instant karma for suspected shoplifter chased and caught in the street by police on toy store bikes
A suspected shoplifter received instant karma when he was taken down by two police officers on bicycles manufactured by a toy store. The footage, shared by the Havering branch of the Metropolitan Police, shows the man leaving the Marks & Spencer store in The Liberty Shopping Centre, Romford, east London, with a basket full of seemingly stolen goods. Wearing a checked blue shirt with denim shorts and white trainers, the suspected thief then appears to notice he is being tailed by one officer and begins running away from them while holding the basket. Looking to cross the road, the man then runs straight into the path of the other officer, whose oncoming bike he collides with. Shouts of 'Alright, mate, stop where you are,' and 'Police. Stop where you are now,' can be heard before he is apprehended, his basket whittling away as he is brought down. Prior to being caught, CCTV footage in the store, captured at around 1pm on June 10, shows the man packing items such as bacon into his basket. It is unknown what else he appears to have stolen or the total value of the basket, but alternate angles of him leaving the shop show the basket to be much fuller than just one packet of meat. Posting the video to X, Havering MPS hailed the apprehension of the man as 'community policing in action' which helps 'keep local people and businesses safe'. Looking to cross the road, the suspected thief then runs straight into the path of the other officer, whose oncoming bike he collides with before being apprehended They also revealed that the bikes were donated by Romford Business Improvement District (BID) after being built by Smyths Toys. They said: 'Romford BID donated the bikes. Smyths Toys built them. We used them to stop shoplifting.' Last September, officers announced that they would be using the bikes, first manufactured by the toy store, as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour and theft in Romford. Sgt Aaron Harris, of the Romford Town Centre policing team, said plain-clothed officers using the bikes would increase their chances of stopping crime. He added: 'Crime in our town centre will not be tolerated and anyone committing crimes against local people, visitors or business will be seeing us soon. 'We will continue to use every resource available to us to make Romford town centre unattractive to criminals.' He also thanked Julie Frost, the director of Romford BID, who said: 'I truly hope this initiative helps visitors and our community feel safer, knowing that steps are being taken to address anti-social behaviour and prevent crime. 'By working together with the local police force, we're committed to restoring confidence and making Romford a welcoming and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit.' MailOnline has approached the Metropolitan Police and Smyths Toys for more information.
