Afghan data leak inquiry to be conducted by Parliament's security watchdog
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Auto-enrolling young people on voting register being explored
Young people could be automatically enrolled on the voting register under plans being explored by the Government, a minister has told Parliament. Labour former minister Lord Beamish argued 'the only way we're going to get young people and other people on the registry is auto-enrolment'. Responding, communities minister Lord Khan of Burnley said the Government will 'take steps to move towards' this, but added that electoral law is 'complicated'. 'We intend to actively explore and test new and more automated methods of registration, including better use of data to identify people who are eligible, and integration with other Government services to make it easier for people to register,' he had earlier told the upper chamber. The minister also revealed the Government is 'looking at' placing 16 and 17-year-olds on the electoral register at the same time they are given their national insurance numbers. This came in response to Liberal Democrat peer Lord Rennard, who said: 'Will the Government now implement the unanimous cross-party recommendation of the House of Lords select committee and automatically include 16 and 17-year-olds on the electoral registers at the same time as they are given their national insurance numbers?' Lord Khan replied: 'This is a major change in the electoral franchise, and we need to get it right. Changes to the electoral law of this magnitude require careful planning and should not be rushed. 'On the question in relation to national insurance, we are looking at different options for ensuring young people can be easily and accurately registered to vote, and ways to enable people to register when they interact with other government services. 'So the (Lord Rennard) keeps pushing. I'm going to give (Lord Rennard) good news … to say we are looking at that as well.' Plaid Cymru peer Baroness Smith of Llanfaes called for a national register to vote day for schools. She said: 'Will this Government consider a national register to vote day for schools, where young people are encouraged to register to vote online in their registration classes?' Lord Khan said this was 'a very strong point, and I will take that away'. He added: 'We'll take all measures to ensure that we can (to) make sure people can participate comfortably and positively.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revenge of the Taliban continued: Warlords now arresting Afghans trying to check British government website at internet cafes to see if their details lost in UK's worst ever data breach
Afghans said to have applied for sanctuary in Britain are being arrested as they try to use the UK government 's website to check if their details were on the leaked dataset. At least five, including former members of the Triples Special Forces, have been held as the Taliban targets internet cafes. The Ministry of Defence sent out an email, to those whose data was suspected of being compromised, apologising. It was followed by a second email with a link for those who had risked their lives for the UK to confirm if they their details provided when they applied for the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) were included. Those whose details were breached received a message on a red background confirming they are a victim of the blunder, while those whose data was not part of the leak received a message on green. But Afghans – and campaigners in the UK – warn that they believe the Taliban is using this to arrest those who worked for Britain as they carry out the necessary checks. Many Afghans do not have Wi-Fi at home and are forced to use internet cafes which are in the major cities and towns. The Taliban hunting those who worked for UK are said to have stepped-up the monitoring of the cafes in recent days. The Mail knows the cities the arrests have taken place in but is not naming them. At least five men and two women are reported to have been arrested while checking their emails. British lawyers and campaigners have sent out warnings to their clients in hiding telling them to stay away from the cafes. Former frontline interpreter Wazir, 38, said: 'We are aware of the arrests. Unfortunately, those whose data may have been leaked want to check and have gone to the cafes. I am told they may have been arrested, with the proof that they worked beside the British in front of them (on the screens).' The details of Wazir, who worked for five years with UK forces, together with that of his family are on the list but he said he had been able to confirm that on the MOD website from his home. 'Many do not have Wi-Fi and this makes them vulnerable,' he said. 'The Taliban has the technology from China also to monitor and track our phones so we know how vulnerable that makes us. 'We are terrified our data entrusted to Britain will be used to hunt us down. Since news of the leak, I have moved my family's hiding place and will do so again next week.' In a rare official announcement yesterday, the Taliban did not confirm or deny it had the dataset but claimed it already had the details of those who had worked for the UK and US, including biometrics, as they were left behind during the chaotic pullout in August 2021. It was reported yesterday that up to ten former members of the Afghan forces had been killed by the Taliban near the border with Iran and Pakistan. The Mail's report revealing Taliban assassins had murdered at least ten, who may have helped the West, in the days after the data leak was revealed. Four are said to have been killed in one ambush. The MOD said: 'The independent Rimmer Review concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted, and this is the basis on which the court lifted its super injunction last week. The review also found that the Taliban already had access to a wealth of data. 'The Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement last week announcing an amnesty for individuals named as part of the data breach, declaring those named it would not face persecution. 'We continue to urge the Taliban to honour their public amnesty towards members of the former Government and special forces.' After the Daily Mail was the first newspaper in the world to discover the data breach, in August 2023, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) mounted a cover-up and successfully hushed up our exclusive. They obtained a superinjunction and ever since then, cloaked by the unprecedented news blackout, ministers have been clandestinely running one of the biggest peacetime evacuation missions in modern British history to rescue people the UK had imperilled: smuggling thousands out of Afghanistan and flying them to Britain at vast cost, with taxpayers being neither asked nor informed. Meanwhile secret hearings in the High Court have heard how Parliament has been deliberately kept oblivious – or even 'misled', as a judge was told. So far 18,500 Afghans whose data was lost have been flown to Britain or are on their way in taxpayer-funded jets. A total of 23,900 are earmarked for arrival. They are living in MOD homes or hotels until permanent homes are found. More than 70,000 others will be left behind in Afghanistan and will have to fend for themselves against vengeful Taliban warlords. Incredibly, hundreds of the Afghans rescued by the Government are now poised to sue the UK for leaking their data in the first place – potentially adding a further £1billion compensation bonanza to the colossal costs of the rescue and rehousing mission.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Afghan data leak inquiry to be conducted by Parliament's security watchdog
Lord Beamish, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC), said the cross-party group would launch a probe after considering defence assessment documents related to the case. The peer has previously voiced concern over 'serious constitutional issues' raised by the handling of the breach that saw the details of 18,714 applicants for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme released in 2022. The leak prompted an unprecedented superinjunction amid fears the Taliban could target would-be refugees for reprisals, meaning the ISC, which routinely reviews sensitive material, was not briefed. It also saw the establishment of a secret scheme, the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), to bring some of those affected to the UK at a projected final cost of about £850 million. In a statement on Monday, Lord Beamish said the committee 'has agreed that, once it has considered the requested material, it will conduct an inquiry into the intelligence community's role and activity in connection with the loss of data relating to Arap applicants in February 2022'. The Ministry of Defence said it had been instructed by Defence Secretary John Healey to give 'its full support' to the committee. The ISC, which is made up of MPs and peers, had asked for the release of defence assessments that formed the basis of the superinjunction, as well as other material relating to the Arap scheme. It hard argued that under the Justice and Security Act 2013, classification of material is not grounds on which information can be withheld from the committee, given its purpose is to scrutinise the work of the UK intelligence community. Thousands of Afghans included on the list of people trying to flee the Taliban are unlikely to receive compensation after their details were accidentally leaked. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Government would 'robustly defend' any legal action or bid for compensation, adding these were 'hypothetical claims'. It has also been reported that the MoD will not proactively offer compensation to those affected. In total, the Government expects 6,900 people to be brought to the UK under the ARR scheme, which was introduced under the previous Tory administration after a defence official leaked the data 'in error' in February 2022. Along with the Afghan nationals, the breach saw details of more than 100 British officials compromised, including special forces and MI6 personnel. An MoD spokesman said: 'The Government strongly welcomes the Intelligence and Security Committee's scrutiny of the Afghan data incident. 'We recognise the urgent need to understand how these significant failures happened and ensure there's proper accountability for the previous government's handling of this matter. 'The Ministry of Defence has been instructed by the Defence Secretary to give its full support to the ISC and all parliamentary committees. If incumbent ministers and officials are asked to account and give evidence, they will. 'We have restored proper parliamentary accountability and scrutiny for the decisions that the department takes and the spending that we commit on behalf of the taxpayer.'
