Ex-minister claims he was misled over fate of Afghan elite soldiers abandoned by UK and exposed in data breach
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Britain risks being ‘dumping ground' for forced labour goods, MPs warn
From 'Italian' tomato puree to solar panels, Britain risks becoming a ' dumping ground ' for goods made with Chinese forced labour, Parliament 's human rights watchdog has warned. The products are linked to forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where thousands are made to work under threat and guard. These goods then enter UK supermarkets and energy firms. The new report, from parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), found that the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the key framework governing forced labour, has no 'enforceable legislation' to actually stop such products entering the UK market. Unlike Westminster, key markets like the European Union and the United States have stronger laws to enforce bans on forced labour. This means that the goods are more likely to come to the UK. 'We are the weakest protected now in Europe,' former Conservative party leader and current co-chair of Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Independent. 'People like Ed Miliband [Energy and Net Zero Secretary] are desperate for cheaper product and they don't want to have to have it slowed up or inaccessible.' 'Such is your desperation to get product in that you don't care what else you're going to attract.' The EU takes an enhanced due diligence approach, and the US takes a hardline approach where parts or goods made in Xinjiang are assumed to be made with forced labour unless proven otherwise. The cross-party group called on ministers to put in place the necessary due diligence and penalties to establish legal duty rather than the existing 'voluntary approach'. It said the government needed to determine who is responsible for preventing the import of tainted goods and what happens if they are confiscated. 'The UK's lack of equivalent legislation puts the UK at risk of becoming a dumping ground for goods that cannot be sold elsewhere,' the report said. But experts warn that even if ministers put these in place, due diligence is not a guarantee. 'The ability of UK companies to actually do due diligence and to police this is basically non-existent, which is why you're seeing this approach taken in the US,' Evan Fowler of IPAC, told The Independent. 'Not only has Beijing stopped publishing data that had previously been used by researchers to build a picture of what is happening, but the forced labour programme has likely been expanded,' Mr Fowler added, referencing a scheme which moves tens of thousands of people from Xinjiang to work in eastern factories. The report comes after a BBC investigation found 17 tomato products sold in UK supermarkets were likely made from tomatoes grown and picked in Xinjiang fields with forced labour. The supermarkets contested the findings. About a third of the world's tomatoes are grown in China and Xinjiang has the perfect climate for them. 'Cargo flights are permitted to bring goods directly from the capital of Xinjiang to the UK unhindered,' the JCHR said. Concerns have also been raised over base materials used to make solar panels imported into the UK - metallurgical grade silicon (MGS) and polysilicon. Xinjiang accounts for about 35 percent of the world's polysilicon and 32 percent of the world's MGS, according to a 2023 report on the Uyghur region and solar panels. In April the government passed an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill to ban forced labour in its supply chains - which drew similar criticism for its lack of due diligence or penalties. It was also criticised for not covering private solar farms, who are eligible for generous state subsidies through Contracts For Difference. 'The government seems to turn a blind eye to slave labour,' Sir Iain told The Independent. However, tracing products back to their true origin is often complicated by a lack of transparency from producers. Firms often split their supply between countries to claim tainted products go elsewhere or choose not to disclose where parts were sourced. Some constituents who ask where solar panels are sourced are falsely told they are made in Germany, Sir Iain told The Independent. 'Well, they're not made in Germany. It's just that the company producing them, they have a middle man. So that disguises where they came from. They never declare that they came from China.' China also increasingly frames due diligence as a national security threat, experts say. 'China is broadening the scope of what it considers to be national security sensitive when it comes to due diligence,' Andrew Yeh, Executive Director of the China Strategic Risks Institute, told The Independent. 'So anyone who is trying to trace which companies are involved or whether their supply chains are linked or not, are potentially crossing the Chinese government's red lines when it comes to how it thinks and defines national security.' Sir Keir Starmer's Government has sought to balance a revival of relations with Beijing in its pursuit of growth with matters of national security amid concerns about Chinese interference in Britain and human rights concerns. China has denied accusations it is subjecting the Uyghur minority to forced labour.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Minimum level of retirement income needed to prevent surge in pensioner poverty, MPs warn
Ministers should ensure a retired people have a minimum level of income to prevent a surge in pensioner poverty, MPs have warned. It comes after the work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said Britain faced a 'tsunami of pensioner poverty' without major reform to the system as she opened the door to an increase in the state pension age. Age UK has found that two million pensioners are already in poverty, with the number expected to rise. Now MPs on the Commons Work and Pensions Committee say a new national strategy to tackle the problem among older people is needed. They have urged the government to set and deliver a minimum level of retirement income, enough for a "dignified, socially acceptable standard of living" in later life. The report also warns that, as people age, the health and social care systems risk becoming unsustainable if ministers fail to tackle the effect poverty has on ill-health. Among the worrying long-term trends that "threaten to undermine pension adequacy", are people renting into later life, the report adds. It also calls for ministers to ensure those entitled to pensions credits of up to £4,000 a year receive them. Current take up is under 70 per cent, with an estimated 700,000 households missing out. Receiving pension credit can also help older people access other benefits such as housing benefit, council tax support, the warm homes discount, a free TV licence, and help with their dental treatment. The report warns: "After a decline in pensioner poverty in the 2000s, the number of pensioners in relative low income started to rise again from 2010. This has been exacerbated by increases in the cost of living since 2021." It continued: "In practice, this means cutting back on essentials, like food, energy use and seeing friends, in an attempt to manage costs. Health experts explained the implications for health. Financial hardship can accelerate the ageing process, making it more likely that an older person will enter hospital or need care." Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, said: "To boost incomes, the government needs to come up with a strategy to increase pension credit take-up. It's a scandal that so many have missed out for so many years, often through an aversion to claiming benefits altogether, or lack of support.' She added: "Ultimately, the government should decide what it thinks is enough for a dignified retirement, and then work to ensure that all pensioners are on at least that level. "Faced with a combination of high energy costs, ill-health and ever higher rates of pensioners in more costly privately rented accommodation, tackling pensioner poverty is not simply a DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) issue. So, we're calling for a nationwide, cross-government strategy for an ageing society that should be rooted in equity and wellbeing." On Tuesday, chancellor Rachel Reeves said that a review into raising the state pension age is needed to ensure the system was "sustainable and affordable". The state pension age is currently 66, but will rise to 67 by 2028. A government spokesperson said: "Supporting pensioners is a top priority, and thanks to our commitment to the triple lock, millions will see their yearly state pension rise by up to £1,900 by the end of this parliament. "We have also run the biggest-ever campaign to boost pension credit take-up, with nearly 60,000 extra pensioner households being awarded the benefit, worth on average around £4,300 a year. "But we know there is a real risk that tomorrow's pensioners will be poorer than today's, which is why we are reviving the Pension Commission, to tackle the barriers that stop too many people from saving." Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "We warmly welcome this thoughtful and wide-ranging select committee report, which comes closer to providing a thorough and progressive strategic overview of the issues facing older people on low incomes and proposing workable solutions than anything successive governments have produced in recent years.'
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
How does Britain's pension predicament compare with other countries
Liz Kendall announced this week that she is reviving the pension commission as the government tries to tackle what she described as a looming 'tsunami of pensioner poverty'. The work and pensions secretary said the government is setting out to 'tackle the barriers that stop too many saving in the first place' after her department found that people retiring in 2050 are on track to be poorer than those retiring today, expecting to get £800 less in private pension income. Currently, just 55 per cent of working age adults in the UK are contributing to a pension pot, and MPs have said that a UK-wide strategy is needed to address pensioner poverty. But the UK's pension dilemma is not unique. Countries across the world are grappling with similar looming crises, driven by a combination of factors including demographic shifts, low interest rates and economic instability. Here, the Independent takes a look at what action other governments are taking to stave off the impending crisis. United States In the United States, half of all private-sector workers are unable to get a retirement plan through their jobs, according to a survey published in June by Pew Charitable Trusts. The US's most common workplace retirement plan is a 401(k), which allows employees to voluntarily put money aside for retirement which is typically matched by their employers. The total employee and employer contributions to a 401(k) cannot exceed $70,000 per year. Around 27 per cent of Americans over the age of 59 have no savings to rely on in their retirement, according to a survey by financial services firm Credit Karma in 2023. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was expected to sign an order that would open up 401(k)s to the private markets. It would order the US Labor Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to create guidance for employers on including private assets in 401(k) plans, which could, in turn, create more investment opportunities for them. Canada Currently, the key challenge for many countries remains the low rate of pension saving. More than half (59 per cent) of working Canadians do not believe they will have enough money to retire, according to a survey conducted this year by Canadian pension fund HOOPP, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. However, Canada is tackling this through rate increases within their savings system. The government has expanded the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), a monthly benefit that replaces a percentage of a person's income after they retire. Between 2019 to 2025, it has increased the percentage of how much of a worker's earnings are replaced from 25 per cent to 33.33 per cent. It has also increased the maximum level of earnings protected by the CPP by 14 per cent over 2024 and 2025. Australia Australia is recognised as having one of the world's top pension schemes where employers are required to pay a percentage of their employees earnings into an account which that employee can then access once they have retired. As of this month, employers are now required to contribute 12 per cent to employees' retirement savings accounts, up from 11.5 per cent. They are also taking steps to close the gender pension pay gap with the Labor Government introducing a superannuation top up for parents taking time off to care for a newborn. The CityUK CEO Miles Celic said: 'total contributions will have to rise if we are to emulate the successes of, for example, Australia and Canada. 'This will involve difficult political choices alongside technical changes to policy and regulation.' France In 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the age of retirement from 62 to 64, which sparked massive public backlash and protests. Macron's administration argued that the reform was essential to prevent long-term deficits in the pension system. At the time, Macron said he did not enjoy passing the reform but called it a necessity, saying 'the longer we wait, the more (the deficit) will deteriorate.' As well as increasing the age of retirement, France has also hiked the minimum contributory requirements by 2 per cent this year across all bands. The minimum contribution applies to retirement pensions under its Pension Insurance scheme. In Germany, the retirement age is gradually being raised from 65 to 67. Like many governments across Europe, it is trying to reduce pressure on the pension system created by aging populations. Last year, it approved pension reform and its new government has set out a series of policies that include maintaining the amount paid to retirees each month - which is 48 per cent of the average monthly salary.
