logo
Ex-minister claims he was misled over fate of Afghan elite soldiers abandoned by UK and exposed in data breach

Ex-minister claims he was misled over fate of Afghan elite soldiers abandoned by UK and exposed in data breach

Independent17-07-2025
A former defence minister has claimed he was misled over the rights of hundreds of Afghan special forces soldiers to be brought to safety in the UK, as revealed by The Independent.
Former Tory armed forces minister James Heappey, who oversaw the cover-up of a major data breach which impacted 100,000 Afghans and cost the UK £7bn, has apologised and admitted 'we let the country down'.
But addressing the fate of Afghan special forces known as 'the Triples', who were abandoned by the UK in the country despite being targeted by the Taliban because of their role training and fighting side by side with British forces, Mr Heappey has suggested that he was misled over their eligibility to be brought to safety.
He said: 'An aside on Triples. I pushed and pushed within the MoD for clarification in response to what was said in press, parliament and by campaigners. Again and again, I said in public what very senior officials and military had briefed me. It is hugely frustrating that proved to be wrong.'
The Independent spearheaded a campaign urging the government to grant members of the Triples sanctuary in Britain after many were left stranded and in danger, following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.
Now, it has emerged that around half of the commandos initially identified for relocation to the UK were affected by the breach, which became the subject of a draconian superinjunction amid fears the dataset could fall into the hands of the Taliban.
Mr Heappey conceded: 'The debate over the Triples (a group of around 1,500 Afghan special forces who'd worked alongside UK military)... by early 2024, it was clear MOD decision making on these troops was flawed & would need review with an expectation many would now be deemed eligible.'
Meanwhile, Mr Heappey has broken cover on his involvement in the cover-up of the major data breach in February 2022 when an official sent an email containing a document with the details of 33,000 records, and the details of more than 18,000 Afghans who had applied to be brought to safety in the UK.
In response, the government set up a secret route for 24,000 Afghans to be brought to the UK and obtained an unprecedented super injunction to prevent reporting or even discussion of what had happened.
Mr Heappey said the data breach revelation was 'gut-wrenching' and apologised for his part in the scandal.
He said: 'I'd like to add my sincere apology to those of other current & former defence ministers for the data breach which compromised details of so many applicants to the ARAP scheme.'
He described his frustration at 'struggling' to resettle legal Afghan claims because the system was being overwhelmed by illegal arrivals.
Mr Heappey said: 'It was gut-wrenching to find out that someone in MoD had screwed up so awfully, although I also came to find out subsequently that they were incredibly dedicated to those we served with in Afghanistan.
'Few had done more to get people who served alongside our special forces out of Afghanistan. It is incredibly unfair that someone who'd done so much good and changed so many lives deservedly for the better, should also be responsible for [the operation codenamed] RUBIFIC.
'But worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented to ARAP applicants whose details had been compromised.
'The intelligence assessment was clear: if the Taliban got their hands on the list, violent and even lethal reprisal was likely.'
He made it clear that the decision to cover the scandal up in the courts with a super injunction was not his decision, in effect pointing the finger at defence secretaries Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace and former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Similar points have been made by former home secretary Suella Braverman who noted that her opposition to what was being decided was closed down once the super injunction came into place.
Mr Heappey said: 'Others made decision over injunction but for what it's worth, I agree that it was needed. Whether it needed to be extended is moot - arguments are finely balanced. I'd left Govt by time of the Court of Appeal extension. And, of course, it was extended after election too.
'The anger across Govt at the MOD over the breach was palpable and justified. There were some pretty choice words offered in meetings. But the suggestion I was driving a new entitlement for those not eligible for ARAP or ACRS but affected by the breach is untrue.'
Sir Ben, who was defence secretary at the time the initial legal order was sought, has said he takes full responsibility for the leak. Mr Shapps has so far stayed silent on the issue.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump visit live: Starmer to push US president to resume role in Gaza ceasefire talks
Trump visit live: Starmer to push US president to resume role in Gaza ceasefire talks

The Independent

time10 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Trump visit live: Starmer to push US president to resume role in Gaza ceasefire talks

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to press Donald Trump on the revival of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as the UK joins efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza. The prime minister will travel to meet the US president during his visit to Scotland amid mounting global anger over the humanitarian conditions in the war-torn enclave. Ceasefire talks in Qatar ground to a standstill this week after America and Israel withdrew negotiating teams from the country, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire' to reach an agreement. The deal under discussion was expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as conditions for a lasting truce were brokered. Sir Keir will raise Washington's work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump and seek to discuss what more can be done to urgently bring about a ceasefire, it is understood. They will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal and the war in Ukraine.

Australia won't receive Aukus nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns
Australia won't receive Aukus nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns

The Guardian

time10 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Australia won't receive Aukus nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns

The US cannot sell any Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia without doubling its production rate, because it is making too few for its own defence, the navy's nominee for chief of operations has told Congress. There are 'no magic beans' to boosting the US's sclerotic shipbuilding capacity, Admiral Daryl Caudle said in frank evidence before a Senate committee. The US's submarine fleet numbers are a quarter below their target, US government figures show, and the country is producing boats at just over half the rate it needs to service its own defence requirements. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Armed Services as part of his confirmation process to serve as the next chief of naval operations, Caudle lauded Royal Australian Navy sailors as 'incredible submariners', but said the US would not be able to sell them any boats – as committed under the Aukus pact – without a '100% improvement' on shipbuilding rates. The US Navy estimates it needs to be building Virginia-class submarines at a rate of 2.00 a year to meet its own defence requirements, and about 2.33 to have enough boats to sell any to Australia. It is currently building Virginia-class submarines at a rate of about 1.13 a year, senior admirals say. 'Australia's ability to conduct undersea warfare is not in question,' Caudle said, 'but as you know the delivery pace is not what it needs to be to make good on the pillar one of the Aukus agreement which is currently under review by our defence department'. Caudle said efficiency gains or marginal improvements would not be sufficient to 'make good on the actual pact that we made with the UK and Australia, which is … around 2.2 to 2.3 Virginia-class submarines per year'. 'That is going to require a transformational improvement; not a 10% improvement, not a 20% improvement but a 100% improvement,' he said. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Under pillar one of the Aukus agreement, Australia is scheduled to buy between three and five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US, starting in 2032. The UK will build the first Aukus-class submarine for its navy by 'the late 2030s'. The first Australian-built Aukus boat will be in the water 'in the early 2040s'. Aukus is forecast to cost Australia up to $368bn over 30 years. US goodwill towards Australia, or the import of the US-alliance, would be irrelevant to any decision to sell submarines: Aukus legislation prohibits the US selling Australia any submarine if that would weaken US naval strength. Australia has already paid $1.6bn out of an expected total of $4.7bn (US$3bn) to help the US boost its flagging shipbuilding industry. But the US itself has been pouring money into its shipbuilding yards, without noticeable effect. A joint statement on 'the state of nuclear shipbuilding' issued by three rear admirals in April noted that while Congress had committed an additional US$5.7bn to lift wages and shipyard productivity, 'we have not observed the needed and expected ramp-up in Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarine production rates necessary'. Caudle, himself a career submariner, said the US would need 'creativity, ingenuity, and some outsourcing improvements' if it were to meet its shipbuilding demands and produce 2.3 Virginia-class vessels a year. 'There are no magic beans to that,' he told the Senate hearing. 'There's nothing that's just going to make that happen. So the solution space has got to open up.' The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who first reported on Caudle's testimony to the Senate, told the Guardian that there was 'no shortage of goodwill towards Australia' from the US in relation to Aukus, but the realities of a shortfall of submarines meant there was a 'very, very high' probability that Virginia-class submarines would never arrive under Australian control. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Turnbull said the language coming from US naval experts was 'framing expectations realistically', essentially saying that, without dramatic reform, the US could not sell any of its Virginia-class boats. With the Collins class nearing the end of their service lives, and the Aukus submarine design and build facing delays in the UK, Australia could be left without any submarine capability for a decade, potentially two, Turnbull argued. 'The risk of us not getting any Virginia-class submarines is – objectively – very, very high. The real question is why is the government not acknowledging that … and why is there no plan B? What are they doing to acquire alternative capabilities in the event of the Virginias not arriving?' Turnbull – who, as prime minister, had signed the diesel-electric submarine deal with French giant Naval that was unilaterally abandoned in favour of the Aukus agreement in 2021 – argued the Australian government, parliament and media had failed to properly interrogate the Aukus deal. 'When you compare the candour and the detail of the disclosure that the US Congress gets from the Department of the Navy, and the fluff we get here, it's a disgrace. Our parliament has the most at stake, but is the least curious, and the least informed. On Friday, the defence minister, Richard Marles, told reporters in Sydney 'work on Aukus continues apace'. 'We continue to work very closely … with the United States in progressing the optimal pathway to Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability,' he said. 'In respect of the production and maintenance schedule in the United States, we continue to make our financial contributions to that industrial base.' Marles cited the $1.6bn paid to the US to boost its shipbuilding industry already this year, with further payments to come, and said that 120 Australian tradespeople were currently working on sustaining Virginia-class submarines in Pearl Harbor. 'All of that work continues and we are really confident that the production rates will be raised in America, which is very much part of the ambition of Aukus.' The Guardian put a series of questions to Marles's office about Caudle's Senate testimony.

Public to be assured in emergency alert drill in September
Public to be assured in emergency alert drill in September

The Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Public to be assured in emergency alert drill in September

A message that will be sent to phones across the country in a national test of the UK's emergency alert system has been published in advance as the Government seeks to ready the public for the drill. Millions of devices will vibrate and make a siren sound for around 10 seconds as they receive the text of fewer than 100 words at around 3pm on September 7. It will assure the public that they 'do not need to take any action' and include a message in both English and Welsh. The Government has been carrying out a public awareness campaign to ensure people know when the test is taking place, including those facing domestic abuse who may have hidden phones. On Monday, the Cabinet Office said the text message will include both English and Welsh and be sent to mobile phones on 4G and 5G networks in the UK. It will read: 'This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. 'You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. 'Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at 'Visit for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg.' Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said: 'Just like the fire alarm in your house, it's important we test this system so that we know it will work if we need it. 'The alerts have the potential to save lives.' Since the first national test of the system in April 2023, five alerts have been sent, including during major storms such as Storm Eowyn in January when lives were at risk. Other activations have took place when an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered in Plymouth, as well as during flash floods in Cumbria and Leicestershire. Some MPs have called on ministers to use different modes of communication for the alert in order to ensure it reaches people who do not have access to a phone. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Sarah Olney has suggested the Government follows Scandinavian examples where the public have been handed pamphlets about preparing for emergencies.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store