Latest news with #JohnnyMercer
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
British spies and special forces exposed in Afghan data leak
The identities of British special forces and MI6 operatives were in a leaked database that is thought to have fallen into the hands of the Taliban, it can be revealed. Scores of special forces personnel and spies' identities are understood to have been included in a spreadsheet containing the names of almost 25,000 Afghan soldiers, government workers and their family members. They had applied to be moved to the UK after the Western military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, but found themselves in potentially more danger of Taliban reprisals after the list was published online. Among the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) personnel named are reported to be senior military officers including a major-general and a brigadier. Identities of spies and special forces soldiers are among the British state's most closely guarded secrets. One of the most damaging leaks of classified information in history, the scheme to relocate around 24,000 Afghans to Britain will cost up to £7bn. Johnny Mercer, the former Conservative veterans' minister who served in Afghanistan, said it was 'gut-wrenching' to learn that the identities of UKSF soldiers and MI6 agents had likely fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Mr Mercer said: 'I fought in Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban. It is gut-wrenching, after all that blood was spilt, that this database may have fallen into their hands. 'I don't disagree with the decision to get the injunction when this first came to light but it was mad that it went on for so long. 'Now people need to be able to protect themselves. And we must look after these Afghan Special Forces properly.' Mr Mercer believes that members of the so-called Triples – Afghan special forces who worked with British personnel – should all be brought to the UK for their own safety. Ministry of Defence (MoD) lawyers applied for a last-minute injunction banning the press from reporting the detail, even as they accepted that a super-injunction blocking any mention of the Afghan data leak would be discharged. After that super-injunction was lifted, The Telegraph was able to report on Tuesday that Taliban sources claimed to have obtained the spreadsheet in 2022 – potentially more than a year before the MoD knew it had been accidentally leaked. The fact that the leaked database included details of MI6 operatives and UKSF personnel was reported by the Sun and the Daily Express on Wednesday and Thursday, yet the MoD insisted for most of Thursday that those facts could not be reported by press outlets that were subject to the original super-injunction. It can also be reported now that James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, asked in Parliament about whether 'an apparent third party who obtained some of the data was engaged in blackmail' against the MoD.
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Shame on those who abused their power to cover up the Afghan fiasco
SIR – I am astounded by the lengths to which successive governments have gone to to hide the truth from the voters who entrusted them with power ('£7bn Afghan migrant cover-up', report, July 16). Yet again, British citizens have been treated with utter contempt by the people who were elected to serve them. They should all be ashamed, but somehow I think they're not. Kurt Mayer Billericay, Essex SIR – After the Afghan super-injunction fiasco, how can the Conservative Party ever be trusted in power again? Dominic Shelmerdine London SW3 SIR – The super-injunction imposed to hide the appalling Ministry of Defence data leak was simply another attempted Whitehall cover-up. Sadly, the details were by then almost certainly already in the wrong hands. Johnny Mercer, the former minister for veterans' affairs, captures all that is wrong with our Civil Service, where there is no accountability, no responsibility and no ability to function effectively at cross-department level, and where cover-ups are routine (' Finally, the ineptitude I saw first-hand has been exposed ', July 16). Fundamental change in Whitehall is urgently required. Kim Potter Lambourn, Berkshire SIR – John Healey, the Defence Secretary, warns against a Ministry of Defence witch hunt in the aftermath of the Afghan leak scandal (report, July 16). He needs to understand that, in the real world, there is no prospect of improvement in performance in the Civil Service until those who make such errors are held to account. Mr Healey has also apologised to the Afghans who have been affected by the leak. Perhaps he should first have apologised to the British taxpayers, whose money has been wasted through the negligence of the MoD. Andrew Beale Norwich SIR – The degree of ineptitude on display in the shameful story of the Afghan migrant cover-up will continue indefinitely, unless we can find some way of attracting businessmen and women back into government. The practice of people going into politics who would not succeed in the cut and thrust of commerce and industry must cease. Bob Russell Brighstone, Isle of Wight SIR – The key issue in the fraught debate on Afghanistan must be the safety and welfare of people whom the United Kingdom has a duty to protect from harm by the Taliban. Everything else would seem secondary. Andrew McLuskey Ashford, Middlesex
Glasgow Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Tory ex-ministers defend record as pressure mounts after Afghan data leak
Members of the previous administration are distancing themselves from the handling of a breach which saw a defence official release the details of nearly 19,000 people seeking to flee Kabul. Shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he first learned of the 2022 data breach after a legal gagging order had been put in place the following year. Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' relating to the previous government's handling of Afghanistan (Andrew Matthews/PA) Former home secretary Suella Braverman said there is 'much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), both ministers and officials' and that she was not involved in the superinjunction decision. Ex-veterans minister Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' regarding the previous government's actions in relation to Kabul but said it was 'absurd' to accuse him of failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. 'I know who is covering their tracks, and who has the courage to be honest,' he said. 'I would caution those who might attempt to rewrite history.' Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of an £850 million scheme set up after the leak, which was kept secret as a result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer insisted there would be scrutiny of the decision, telling MPs: 'Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.' Former prime minister Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary at the time of the breach in February 2022, but a backbencher when the superinjunction was sought, said she was 'shocked' by the 'cover-up'. She said the revelations pointed to a 'huge betrayal of public trust' and 'those responsible in both governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account'. Mr Mercer said: 'I've spilt my own blood fighting for a better Afghanistan, lost friends, fought to get operators out of the country and away from the Taliban, and visited hundreds of resettled families and hotels in the UK under direct commission from the previous prime minister after the schemes were dangerously failing. 'Others were with me in this process and we have all the receipts.' Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said he had 'strongly opposed plans to bring over' thousands of Afghan nationals during 'internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation' in December 2023. 'I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the superinjunction was in place,' he said. 'Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.' Mr Jenrick said the secret scheme had been 'a complete disaster' and that the previous government 'made serious mistakes' but that 'thousands more (Afghan people) have come since Labour came to power'. Defence Secretary John Healey wrote in the Daily Express that he had closed the scheme because it was 'unsustainable for the taxpayer, unfair for parliament and disproportionate to the threat'. The Commons Defence Committee will be setting out plans for an inquiry straight after the parliamentary recess in September. Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (Ben Birchall/PA) A dataset of 18,714 who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was released in February 2022 by a defence official who emailed a file outside authorised government systems. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the blunder when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. Then-defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he had applied for a four-month standard injunction shortly before leaving office but, on September 1 2023, when Grant Shapps took the role, the government was given a superinjunction. Mr Shapps has not yet publicly commented on the revelations. Sir Ben has insisted he makes 'no apology' for applying for the initial injunction, saying it was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400 million so far, with a projected final cost of about £850 million. The key facts on the Afghan Resettlement data incident that took place in 2022, and the action we are taking to support those impacted. Defence Minister @LukePollard explains 👇 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 16, 2025 A total of about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. The official responsible for the email error was moved to a new role but not sacked. The superinjunction was in place for almost two years, covering Labour and Conservative governments. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the leak, telling LBC: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people, yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there … and we are sorry for that.'
Western Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Tory ex-ministers defend record as pressure mounts after Afghan data leak
Members of the previous administration are distancing themselves from the handling of a breach which saw a defence official release the details of nearly 19,000 people seeking to flee Kabul. Shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he first learned of the 2022 data breach after a legal gagging order had been put in place the following year. Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' relating to the previous government's handling of Afghanistan (Andrew Matthews/PA) Former home secretary Suella Braverman said there is 'much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), both ministers and officials' and that she was not involved in the superinjunction decision. Ex-veterans minister Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' regarding the previous government's actions in relation to Kabul but said it was 'absurd' to accuse him of failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. 'I know who is covering their tracks, and who has the courage to be honest,' he said. 'I would caution those who might attempt to rewrite history.' Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of an £850 million scheme set up after the leak, which was kept secret as a result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer insisted there would be scrutiny of the decision, telling MPs: 'Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.' Former prime minister Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary at the time of the breach in February 2022, but a backbencher when the superinjunction was sought, said she was 'shocked' by the 'cover-up'. She said the revelations pointed to a 'huge betrayal of public trust' and 'those responsible in both governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account'. Mr Mercer said: 'I've spilt my own blood fighting for a better Afghanistan, lost friends, fought to get operators out of the country and away from the Taliban, and visited hundreds of resettled families and hotels in the UK under direct commission from the previous prime minister after the schemes were dangerously failing. 'Others were with me in this process and we have all the receipts.' Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said he had 'strongly opposed plans to bring over' thousands of Afghan nationals during 'internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation' in December 2023. 'I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the superinjunction was in place,' he said. 'Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.' Mr Jenrick said the secret scheme had been 'a complete disaster' and that the previous government 'made serious mistakes' but that 'thousands more (Afghan people) have come since Labour came to power'. The Commons Defence Committee will be setting out plans for an inquiry straight after the parliamentary recess in September. Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (Ben Birchall/PA) A dataset of 18,714 who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was released in February 2022 by a defence official who emailed a file outside authorised government systems. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the blunder when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. Then-defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he had applied for a four-month standard injunction shortly before leaving office but, on September 1 2023, when Grant Shapps took the role, the government was given a superinjunction. Mr Shapps has not yet publicly commented on the revelations. Sir Ben has insisted he makes 'no apology' for applying for the initial injunction, saying it was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400 million so far, with a projected final cost of about £850 million. The key facts on the Afghan Resettlement data incident that took place in 2022, and the action we are taking to support those impacted. Defence Minister @LukePollard explains 👇 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 16, 2025 A total of about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. The official responsible for the email error was moved to a new role but not sacked. The superinjunction was in place for almost two years, covering Labour and Conservative governments. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the leak, telling LBC: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people, yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there … and we are sorry for that.'
The Herald Scotland
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Tory ex-ministers defend record as pressure mounts after Afghan data leak
Shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he first learned of the 2022 data breach after a legal gagging order had been put in place the following year. Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' relating to the previous government's handling of Afghanistan (Andrew Matthews/PA) Former home secretary Suella Braverman said there is 'much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), both ministers and officials' and that she was not involved in the superinjunction decision. Ex-veterans minister Johnny Mercer claimed he had 'receipts' regarding the previous government's actions in relation to Kabul but said it was 'absurd' to accuse him of failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. 'I know who is covering their tracks, and who has the courage to be honest,' he said. 'I would caution those who might attempt to rewrite history.' Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of an £850 million scheme set up after the leak, which was kept secret as a result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer insisted there would be scrutiny of the decision, telling MPs: 'Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.' Former prime minister Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary at the time of the breach in February 2022, but a backbencher when the superinjunction was sought, said she was 'shocked' by the 'cover-up'. She said the revelations pointed to a 'huge betrayal of public trust' and 'those responsible in both governments and the bureaucracy need to be held to account'. Mr Mercer said: 'I've spilt my own blood fighting for a better Afghanistan, lost friends, fought to get operators out of the country and away from the Taliban, and visited hundreds of resettled families and hotels in the UK under direct commission from the previous prime minister after the schemes were dangerously failing. 'Others were with me in this process and we have all the receipts.' Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said he had 'strongly opposed plans to bring over' thousands of Afghan nationals during 'internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation' in December 2023. 'I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the superinjunction was in place,' he said. 'Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.' Mr Jenrick said the secret scheme had been 'a complete disaster' and that the previous government 'made serious mistakes' but that 'thousands more (Afghan people) have come since Labour came to power'. The Commons Defence Committee will be setting out plans for an inquiry straight after the parliamentary recess in September. Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (Ben Birchall/PA) A dataset of 18,714 who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was released in February 2022 by a defence official who emailed a file outside authorised government systems. The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the blunder when excerpts from the dataset were posted anonymously on a Facebook group in August 2023, and a superinjunction was granted at the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak. Then-defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he had applied for a four-month standard injunction shortly before leaving office but, on September 1 2023, when Grant Shapps took the role, the government was given a superinjunction. Mr Shapps has not yet publicly commented on the revelations. Sir Ben has insisted he makes 'no apology' for applying for the initial injunction, saying it was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost about £400 million so far, with a projected final cost of about £850 million. The key facts on the Afghan Resettlement data incident that took place in 2022, and the action we are taking to support those impacted. Defence Minister @LukePollard explains 👇 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 16, 2025 A total of about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme. The official responsible for the email error was moved to a new role but not sacked. The superinjunction was in place for almost two years, covering Labour and Conservative governments. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the leak, telling LBC: 'On behalf of the government and on behalf of the British people, yes, because somebody made a terrible mistake and names were put out there … and we are sorry for that.'
