PM: Tory ministers have “serious questions to answer” on Afghan scheme
Former Conservative ministers have “serious questions to answer” over a data breach which revealed the details of thousands of Afghans who had supported British forces, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The prime minister said the failings inherited by his government included a super-injunction which blocked reporting of the breach, and a “secret route” for those affected to come to the UK “that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds”.
Details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power were mistakenly leaked in February 2022 by a British official.
The previous government learned of this in August 2023 when details were posted on Facebook.
Sir Ben Wallace, who was defence secretary at the time, said the Conservative government had applied for a four-month injunction after it became aware of the breach, which a judge converted to a super-injunction, meaning even the existence of the court order could not be reported.
The super-injunction was lifted on Tuesday, following a review.
