Former Defence Secretary makes 'no apology' for Afghan injunction
The former Conservative defence secretary, Sir Ben Wallace, said he makes 'no apology' for applying for an injunction to block reporting about a data leak which revealed the details of Afghans who supported British forces.
Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of a scheme set up after the data breach.
Writing in The Telegraph, Wallace said the decision to appeal for the injunction was 'not a cover-up'.
He added that if the leak had been reported, it would have 'put in peril those we needed to help out'.
A dataset that contained the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) was released 'in error' in February 2022 by a defence official.
It is understood that the official emailed the data outside a secure government system whilst attempting to verify information.
They believed the dataset to only have 150 rows, but more than 33,000 rows of data were inadvertently sent.
The government did not comment to say whether the officials involved had faced disciplinary action or were still employed by the MoD.
The current Defence Secretary, John Healey, said the person involved in the leak is no longer 'doing the same job'.
Defence Secretary: We should be 'deeply cautious' about secret superinjunctions in future
The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the breach after excerpts of the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023.
A superinjunction was then granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak.
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.'
The injunction was in place for almost two years, covering both Labour and Conservative governments.
The data leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme in April 2024.
The Afghanistan Response Route is understood to have cost around £400 million, with a projected final cost of roughly £850 million.
Around 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. Both Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Defence Secretary John Healey have apologised for the data leak. / Credit: PA
Mr Healey offered a 'sincere apology' on behalf of the Government in the Commons on Tuesday and said he had felt 'deeply uncomfortable' not being able to speak about it in Parliament.
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch also apologised on her party's behalf.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
19 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
MoD braced for £1billion compensation bill after 100k lives put at risk of Taliban death squads by Afghan leak scandal
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEFENCE chiefs are braced for a £1billion compensation bill over a data breach which revealed Afghans who supported UK forces. Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then 'covered up' by a UK gagging order. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Evacuation of Afghans in 2021 after the Taliban took control - ahead of the Conservative Government's 2023 secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific Credit: Getty 7 The Taliban has stated it is actively hunting those revealed on the leaked list Credit: AP 7 Around 100,000 Afghans were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 Thousands could sue the MoD after the leak was made public this week. Almost 900 Afghans on the 'kill list' email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them. Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled 'to five-figure payouts'. Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law, which is representing nearly 900, said: 'The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death. In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out. Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected.' That could see the overall compensation bill pass £1billion. The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The list included their last-known locations, how they served British forces, and in some instances who supported their claims — including MPs, Special Forces and spies. The leak, which included details of a 'secret route' for some of those affected to come to the UK, was only discovered when excerpts were put on Facebook in August 2023. Taliban warns thousands of Afghans secretly airlifted to UK 'we will HUNT you down' The next month, the Tory government used a superinjunction to stop journalists reporting the breach. It was extended until being lifted by a High Court judge this Tuesday. A defence source said yesterday: 'People on that list had fought with British forces in Afghanistan. 'They fought against the Taliban. First of all we let the Taliban take over, and then when these people came to us for help we put their lives in even more danger.' The potential huge bill emerged as Nigel Farage claimed 'convicted sex offenders' are among the Afghans secretly airlifted into the UK. The Reform UK leader said the rescue of almost 20,000 Afghans is a risk to women's safety — triggering a row with Labour and the Tories. Defence Secretary John Healey insisted everyone had been checked 'carefully' for any criminal records. And he said if Mr Farage had any hard evidence, he should report it to police. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride also said Mr Farage should provide evidence for his claims. PM Sir Keir Starmer said the previous Tory government had serious questions to answer over the leak. Hunting people down Sir Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary at the time, insisted there was not a cover-up and the gagging order was to protect at-risk Afghans, and he made 'no apology' for doing so. Sir Ben also said he applied for a four-month injunction and did not know why it was converted into a superinjunction in September 2023, when Grant Shapps had taken over as Defence Secretary. 7 The list contained the details of 20,000 Afghans whose country had been taken over by the Taliban Credit: Alamy 7 The leaked list also included the names of UK sponsors and MI6 spies who could have become targets of the Taliban in Afghanistan Credit: Getty Ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Shapps had questions to answer. Mr Shapps has yet to comment. Meanwhile, Zia Yusuf, head of Reform's Department of Government Efficiency, has launched a petition calling for an independent, judge-led inquiry. He said: 'We want to know who made these decisions.' Lawyers insisted the injunction was necessary to protect the lives of people who were named and at risk of Taliban reprisals. It included hundreds of Afghan Special Forces who had served in units known as the Triples, alongside Britain's SAS and SBS. The Triples conducted thousands of night raids against senior Taliban leaders and counter-narcotics operations. Last night, Taliban sources claimed they have had the list for years — and had been hunting down those on it. A Taliban official said: 'We got the list from the internet during the first days when it was leaked. 'A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain. We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down.' 7 The potential huge bill emerged as Nigel Farage claimed 'convicted sex offenders' are among the Afghans secretly airlifted into the UK Credit: PA 7 Defence Secretary John Healey insisted everyone had been checked 'carefully' for any criminal records Credit: PA In 2023, the Government launched a secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific, to smuggle around 4,500 people on the list to Britain. They are among 34,000 Afghans who have been offered new lives in Britain since the Taliban takeover. That number is expected to rise to 43,000 and the Government predicts the total cost will be £7billion. An MoD spokesman yesterday insisted a £1billion compensation bill was 'pure speculation'. He said: 'The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. 'We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard.'
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Thanks for saving us, now we'll sue you: Afghan data disaster takes bleakly predictable twist as ambulance-chasing lawyers cash in
Taxpayers face a potential £1billion bill as law firms race to cash in following the Afghan data disaster. Legal companies have begun signing up thousands of claimants who could, it is claimed, pocket up to £250,000 each in compensation. The Government admitted 100,000 Afghans had been left 'at risk of death' from the Taliban by a catastrophic leak of a database of those who had applied to the UK for sanctuary. There were fears it would be used as a 'kill list'. As exclusively discovered by the Daily Mail, but kept hidden by a super- injunction, ministers launched one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in modern British history to rescue thousands and airlift them here in secret. Last October, ministers in charge of the scheme agreed to spend £7billion, with taxpayers neither asked nor told, the High Court heard. Now the compensation bonanza could send costs soaring as law firms plan class action court cases for damages. The floodgates will also open to thousands of legal challenges on behalf of Afghans previously refused sanctuary in Britain, lawyers believe. The Mail has established Manchester-based Barings Law intends to carve off 25 per cent of the value of each successful claim and hopes to bank in excess of £100million. The huge potential bounty for the law firm is an industry standard figure and is capped under UK law. Barings has already signed up approaching 1,000 Afghans included on the database, according to a legal source. Tonight Adnan Malik, the firm's head of data protection, insisted: 'This is about more than just money. 'It is about accountability. Barings Law is giving a voice to people who have lost their homes, livelihoods and liberties as a result of this debacle.' The Ministry of Defence has vowed to 'fight hard' any compensation claims from Afghans. The data blunder happened when a British soldier accidentally emailed out a database with details of 18,800 people who had applied to a UK scheme to reward loyal Afghans who had worked with UK forces or officials and now feared reprisals from the Taliban. British military and government officials were also named on the database, which has been seen by the Mail. Today, commons defence committee chairman Tan Dhesi MP told the BBC: 'This email could be one of the most costly email blunders in history'. The Government is facing mounting pressure to explain its unprecedented super-injunction – which meant for two years Mail journalists faced jail if they breathed a word of the scandal. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was today said to be 'angry' when he discovered the programme – and the secrecy around it – on taking power. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, meanwhile, said the whole episode 'raises significant constitutional issues' after MPs were also kept completely in the dark. Two Parliamentary probes were launched today, after the super-injunction was lifted after 683 days enabling the Daily Mail to finally reveal its astonishing exclusive story. Cloaked by the news blackout, the ministers' secret resettlement scheme has seen thousands smuggled out of Afghanistan and flown to Britain at vast cost. Every few weeks, unmarked government charter planes are landing at airports including Stansted and RAF Brize Norton packed with hundreds of Afghans. So far 18,500 Afghans whose data was breached have been flown to Britain or are on their way in taxpayer-funded jets. A total of 23,900 are earmarked for arrival. The MoD said some of them would have come anyway regardless of the data leak. But those whose personal details were breached can expect to win damages. The Mail has seen a WhatsApp message being widely circulated around Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UK encouraging people to sign up to claims against the MoD being brought by Barings. Specialists have been drawing up scales for case values, based on a claimant's whereabouts, the extent of the data breach and the threat to their lives. Mr Malik said: 'We have a long history of successfully pursuing data breach cases. This is perhaps our most significant to date. The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death. 'In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out.' He added: 'We would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected.' Some claims are anticipated to be substantially higher, and once the Government's costs accrued in processing the claims are included, the overall exposure to taxpayers is put at be between £500million and £1billion. Claimants can apply for compensation on the basis of a threat to their livelihood, even if they have moved to Britain. This is because they could claim they face reprisals from the Afghan community in this country. Other companies expected to join the race include Leigh Day, a firm known for helping hundreds of Afghans in other cases. The data leak also means a previous decision to turn down an Afghan's application could be appealed, which could lead to years of further legal challenges. The Mail already knows of several cases where a rejected Afghan mounted a legal challenge only for ministers to mysteriously, and suddenly, concede the case without giving a reason why – the suspicion being that the Government secretly knew that the Afghan concerned was on the dataset. Lawyers are set to mount a series of legal challenges known as Judicial Reviews. The first, they say, is likely to be against the Government's closure earlier this month of the flagship Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy without warning. They will claim the scheme was 'cynically closed' just days before the data leak was revealed – to prevent an expected 'deluge' of fresh relocation applications. Thousands have been rejected for ARAP and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, which has also closed. Lawyers say they will review all the rejections. A spokesman for the MoD said tonight: 'We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims. 'We have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. Any claims we do get, we will fight them hard.'
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
MoD braced for £1billion compensation bill after 100k lives put at risk of Taliban death squads by Afghan leak scandal
DEFENCE chiefs are braced for a £1billion compensation bill over a data breach which revealed Afghans who supported UK forces. Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then 'covered up' by a UK gagging order. 7 7 7 Thousands could sue the MoD after the leak was made public this week. Almost 900 Afghans on the 'kill list' email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them. Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled 'to five-figure payouts'. Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law, which is representing nearly 900, said: 'The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death. In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out. Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected.' That could see the overall compensation bill pass £1billion. The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The list included their last-known location s, how they served British forces, and in some instances who supported their claims — including MPs, Special Forces and spies. The leak, which included details of a 'secret route' for some of those affected to come to the UK, was only discovered when excerpts were put on Facebook in August 2023. Taliban warns thousands of Afghans secretly airlifted to UK 'we will HUNT you down' The next month, the Tory government used a superinjunction to stop journalists reporting the breach. It was extended until being lifted by a High Court judge this Tuesday. A defence source said yesterday: 'People on that list had fought with British forces in Afghanistan. 'They fought against the Taliban. First of all we let the Taliban take over, and then when these people came to us for help we put their lives in even more danger.' The potential huge bill emerged as Nigel Farage claimed 'convicted sex offenders' are among the Afghans secretly airlifted into the UK. The Reform UK leader said the rescue of almost 20,000 Afghans is a risk to women's safety — triggering a row with Labour and the Tories. Defence Secretary John Healey insisted everyone had been checked 'carefully' for any criminal records. And he said if Mr Farage had any hard evidence, he should report it to police. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride also said Mr Farage should provide evidence for his claims. PM Sir Keir Starmer said the previous Tory government had serious questions to answer over the leak. Hunting people down Sir Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary at the time, insisted there was not a cover-up and the gagging order was to protect at-risk Afghans, and he made 'no apology' for doing so. Sir Ben also said he applied for a four-month injunction and did not know why it was converted into a superinjunction in September 2023, when Grant Shapps had taken over as Defence Secretary. 7 Ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Shapps had questions to answer. Mr Shapps has yet to comment. Meanwhile, Zia Yusuf, head of Reform's Department of Government Efficiency, has launched a petition calling for an independent, judge-led inquiry. He said: 'We want to know who made these decisions.' Lawyers insisted the injunction was necessary to protect the lives of people who were named and at risk of Taliban reprisals. It included hundreds of Afghan Special Forces who had served in units known as the Triples, alongside Britain's SAS and SBS. The Triples conducted thousands of night raids against senior Taliban leaders and counter-narcotics operations. Last night, Taliban sources claimed they have had the list for years — and had been hunting down those on it. A Taliban official said: 'We got the list from the internet during the first days when it was leaked. 'A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain. We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down.' 7 7 In 2023, the Government launched a secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific, to smuggle around 4,500 people on the list to Britain. They are among 34,000 Afghans who have been offered new lives in Britain since the Taliban takeover. That number is expected to rise to 43,000 and the Government predicts the total cost will be £7billion. An MoD spokesman yesterday insisted a £1billion compensation bill was 'pure speculation'. He said: 'The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. 'We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard.' MINISTERS' BLAME GAME FORMER Tory ministers have turned on each other as a blame game erupted over the Afghan data leak. Former PM Liz Truss accused ex-Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace of a 'huge betrayal of public trust'. She said she was 'shocked by the secrecy' of Operation Rubific, which brought 4,500 Afghans to Britain after their details were leaked. And she demanded those responsible in governments and the bureaucracy needed to be held to account. But Sir Ben hit back by claiming Ms Truss — Foreign Secretary under Boris Johnson in February 2022 — approved the plan in office. He replied to her X post: 'Oh dear Liz. Not quite. You were part of the Cabinet that approved the relocation of Afghans and the wider Home Office refugee scheme.' He also defended his actions, writing: 'I make no apology for applying to the court for an injunction at the time. Imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list.' Sir Keir Starmer said both former ministers had 'serious questions to answer' about the airlift that may ultimately cost an estimated £7billion. Ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees Mogg also called on Sir Grant Shapps, who was Defence Secretary when the injunction became a superinjunction, to speak out on the revelations. And Reform UK's Zia Yusuf has called for a judge-led inquiry into the operation.
