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The National
13 hours ago
- The National
The UK's Afghan data leak stinks of another miserable betrayal
One of the most enduring until he died some years ago of cancer was with a former mujahideen guerrilla commander whom I first met back in the days when he was involved in the resistance to the Soviet occupation of his country. Later, he would fight as part of the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, and it's for this reason that I'm not prepared to name him here. I do know that much of his immediate family were forced to flee shortly after I last saw them in Kabul in 2020, just before the Taliban came to power following the ignominious withdrawal in August 2021 of the US-led coalition forces of which Britain was a part. READ MORE: Former top judge says court would 'likely' rule Israel is committing genocide in Gaza My late friend's immediate family are now in neighbouring Iran, where they swapped the dangers of one war and repressive regime in Afghanistan for that of another because they had no choice. To stay would have meant almost certain death at the hands of the Taliban. I know for sure they are in Iran because one of my late friend's sons with great difficulty got a message to me asking for help to get his family out from Iran to the UK. His request is not the first I've had from old Afghan friends, and doubtless will not be the last. Another, still trapped in Afghanistan, also managed to contact me a few months ago seeking similar help. I have not heard from him since. To say I feel a sense of unease at being unable to do much would be an understatement, for friendships run deep in Afghan culture and our bonds were often forged in the most trying times of war, making them all the more profound. I mention all this right now in the context of the scarcely believable cock-up by the previous Tory government that was disclosed this week over the highly secret Operation Rubific. For those catching up with the story, in short, up to 100,000 Afghans could have been placed at risk after a British Royal Marine mistakenly emailed a database to multiple wrong contacts. That spreadsheet contained personal data on tens of thousands of applicants to the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). In what ended up on Facebook, names, emails and phone numbers in the leak included up to 33,000 people connected to those who supported British forces. As the data was circulated even further, fears grew that it could provide the basis for a Taliban 'kill list', and this is where the whole affair gets even more shameful. For not only did the then Tory government defence secretary Ben Wallace obtain a 'super-injunction' preventing several media organisations who knew of the leak from reporting it, but by doing so added cover-up to cock-up. In panic, ministers then authorised a covert emergency relocation scheme known as the Afghan Response Route at an estimated cost of £7 billion to the taxpayer. That has now been closed according to current Labour Government Defence Secretary John Healey, who on Tuesday admitted the catastrophic data breach. Everything about this whole shambolic affair stinks. To begin with, there is the utter incompetence of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its failure to safeguard all those in the dataset. READ MORE: 12 countries agree concrete steps to halt Gaza genocide Then there is the gagging of the press and the fact the super-injunction was allowed to continue to last for so long. All this before the unimaginable fear and pressure it must have placed on countless ordinary Afghans. Hard as it is to imagine, but the entire affair is on a par – if not surpasses – the betrayal meted out to Afghans back in 2021 as they were left to their fate at the hands of the Taliban. And before anyone simply lays the blame squarely on the previous Tory government, let's not forget that court documents revealed that the current Labour Government continued to defend the injunction after coming to power, citing national security concerns. What also sticks in the craw is that Healey this week told news outlets that 'most of those names on the list… didn't work alongside our forces, didn't serve with our forces, aren't eligible for the special scheme.' Healey also had the audacity to argue that their inclusion in the list did not automatically make them targets, citing an independent review which found it 'highly unlikely' that presence on the dataset increased the risk of Taliban reprisals. Really, Mr Healey, can you be absolutely sure of that? If the threat was so slight why then did both Tory then a Labour government tie themselves in knots adding to the cover-up of the leak? Are we actually supposed to take the word of UK Government officials – whose ineptitude appears to know no bounds – that they are categorically certain the Taliban did not benefit from the leak and target those inside the country related to those on the list? Justified as it is to focus on what led to the leak and the question over freedom of the press to report, it's vital to remember that at the core of this whole issue are people's lives and the terrifying threat they face daily from the barbarism of Taliban rule. Those in Westminster might think that the war in Afghanistan is over, but countless Afghans are still imperilled by its outcome – not least the country's women and girls. Rather than pulling out all the stops to make them safer – the least the UK could do after its earlier betrayal – it instead puts them in even greater danger than before. READ MORE: At least 20 Palestinians killed in stampede at food distribution centre Is it really beyond the intelligence of politicians – whatever their stripe – to put the obvious facts together and recognise the real reason why in 2023-24, Afghans topped the list of those trying to make that Channel crossing in small boats? For the bottom line here is that the UK screws up massively in terms of legal routes for legitimate Afghan asylum seekers to get here, while at the same time making their lives back in Afghanistan more dangerous than ever. What an indictment we have witnessed this week of the systems that are meant to protect the victims of war and oppression. There now needs to be a full independent inquiry into what by any standards is a scandalous affair on so many levels. In the meantime, should my Afghan friends once more be in touch seeking help, I will be more bereft than ever of offering any useful reply. I will also be hanging my head in shame at the UK's miserable betrayal – yet again.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch as huge fleet of terrifying new Chinese ‘tank boats' takes to water – as Taiwan launches biggest EVER war drills
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DRAMATIC footage captures a fleet of Chinese tank boats charging through the sea in tight formation during military drills near Taiwan. The show of force by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) comes as Taiwan kicks off its largest-ever military exercises. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Armoured amphibious units practise naval formation 4 Military experts describe the drills as a 'counter-display' following Taiwan's drills Credit: X/ianellisjones 4 China views the democratically governed island as part of its territory Footage released by China's state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday shows amphibious armoured units conducting live-fire exercises as tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalate. The drills were carried out by the PLA's 72nd Group Army just off the southern coast of Fujian province - directly across from Taiwan - in what analysts see as a deliberately provocative move. A video released on Thursday shows reconnaissance troops from the 73rd Group Army practising armed swimming, underwater combat and long-range coastal infiltration drills. Military experts say the drills are "counter-display" as Taiwan launched its own large-scale military exercises on Wednesday. Taiwan's drills focused on decentralising command systems, defence officials told Reuters. In one exercise, around 300 reservists were stationed at an empty high school in Taoyuan, where they trained in mortar and rifle operations. China and Taiwan's displays of military might reflect an escalation in tensions between Beijing and Taipei. China views the democratically governed island as part of its territory. For this reason, it has ramped up military pressure around the island over the last five years, including regular naval and air patrols near Taiwan. Meanwhile, China's new giant "sea monster" warplane was spotted for the first time in the Bohai Sea on Monday. China floods sea bases with nuke bombers, terrifying satellite pics show - as US warns Xi could SEIZE Taiwanese islands The wing-in-ground effect (WIG) aircraft, commonly known as an ekranoplan, calls to mind Soviet military tech from the Cold War era. The vehicle seems to have a boat-shaped fuselage and a joined V-shape tail – a common configuration for WIG craft. It could be used to facilitate rapid coastal transport and resupply missions or amphibious operations, according to aviation and maritime experts. And experts fear it could be used in any potential military operations against Taiwan in the future. It comes just months after satellite pictures showed China's new invasion barges lining up to form a floating bridge. The satellite images show three specialised barges, each with two arms of roadway, lining up next to each other. They connect to form a continuous bridge along which invading ground vehicles such as tanks could trundle ashore. Huge retractable legs anchor the barges to the seabed like stilts. Why is Taiwan under threat of Chinese invasion? TAIWAN is under threat of a Chinese invasion as a result of its political and historical ties to China and its strategic importance After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the defeated Nationalist government (Kuomintang) fled to Taiwan while the Communists took control of mainland China Since then, Taiwan has evolved into a self-governed democracy But the People's Republic of China (PRC) sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunified with the mainland Taiwan has never formally declared independence, partly to avoid provoking a military response from China Chinese President Xi Jinping has tied 'national rejuvenation' to reunifying Taiwan with the mainland Most countries, including the US, do not officially recognise Taiwan as an independent nation, but they do support Taiwan militarily and economically China views foreign support of Taiwan, especially arms sales and diplomatic visits, as provocations Taiwan is strategically important as it sits in a vital geopolitical position in the Asia-Pacific This makes its location a gateway to the South China Sea
Spectator
09-07-2025
- Spectator
Corbyn's new party is Starmer's creation
Have you ever been to an activist meeting? A proper one, not a cocktail party for potential donors. If Keir Starmer has been to one lately, I suspect he didn't stay past the minutes or he would have been better prepared for what happens when you try to get a roomful of lefties to point in the same direction. Starmer's team have been so busy admiring their enormous majority that it has taken them a while to realise that they are trapped with 400 left-wingers in every shade of red from post-Soviet carmine to the most delicate salmon pink, all of them high on victory and spoiling for a fight. One might as well try to herd 400 cats into formation. In our sclerotic two-party, first-past-the-post system, a majority as large as Starmer's is meant to give the leadership a free hand. But this depends on internal discipline and the appearance of consensus, which is not easy for Labour. In my experience, the only activist meetings that reach a consensus in under three hours are direct action groups such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action, which might explain why the government is trying to have them locked up before they become too powerful, free speech be damned. One suspects that Starmer might deal similarly with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, if he could. The MPs for Islington North and Coventry South are apparently going to form a new left-wing party. I'm happy for them. They make sense together. Between them, the former Labour leader and the young rising star have covered the two major modern left aesthetics: Soft Business Attack Femme and Wizard of No Fixed Address. And neither of them, apparently, is happy with purely vibes-based politics. They're the sort of terrifying people who actually go to meetings, stay until the end and listen. Rather than ask why this sort of thing is popular with voters, the government's loyalists are grumbling about how badly Corbyn and Sultana have betrayed the Labour party – which is a bit rich, considering that Corbyn didn't expel himself. Modern Labour acts as if only it can protect Britain from being further ravaged by the Bullingdon set. As such, any opinion that might go down badly with centrist dads from Stevenage is by definition a luxury belief. And there is a place for that sort of pragmatism. There are situations so desperate that 'you should see the other guy' is a winning argument. Last summer, just before the general election, someone threw a plastic bag full of raw meat into the building site behind my flat. The construction company had gone bankrupt and the site was fenced off, so we had to watch and smell the meatbag slowly rot until even the foxes wouldn't go for it. But if you'd decorated it with a red ribbon, I would have held my nose and voted for that rotting meatbag rather than allow the Conservative party another moment's control over what's left of the country. As it happens, I didn't have to make that choice. Because I live in Islington North, and Corbyn was and remains my MP. He is also my neighbour. I often see him in the corner shop. I could easily have brought up the rotting meatbag issue in person, but Corbyn does actually try to solve problems for his constituents, and there was a very real possibility that he might have tried to scale the fence himself. And with the greatest respect, he's 76. Corbyn was supposed to go away. That's what party leaders are meant to do when they're ousted: slink off to a discreet life of lucrative after-dinner talks. Instead, he has carried on standing up for his principles, which remain pro-social and anti-war. Instead of going back to rusticate on his allotment, he keeps on suggesting outrageous socialist plots like raising taxes rather than kicking children off welfare. When your entire political tradition is based on scamming, spin and weary pragmatism, honesty and consistency are the wild cards. Which is where Sultana comes in. The young MP (she's only 31) has a rare talent in this anaemic political culture: she speaks clearly and with conviction. 'Just 50 families now own more than half the UK population,' she declared in her announcement that she was quitting Labour. 'Poverty is growing, inequality is obscene, and the two-party system offers nothing but managed decline and broken promises.' Sultana was one of the first Labour MPs to have the whip withdrawn for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap. This early crackdown was designed as a warning to newcomers to the Commons about what happens if you don't toe the party line, wherever the leadership chooses to draw it. Unfortunately, somebody failed to frisk the new MPs on the way in to check they weren't carrying any concealed principles. Labour was never going to be able to control its MPs. Consensus is difficult to achieve among people who, by their very nature, believe that some things matter more than power. This is a feature of the left, not a bug. In a sensible democracy, politicians who stand up for their constituents should not automatically be a liability and smaller parties should not automatically be a threat. Most modern democracies have some form of proportional representation, which is, of course, a boring way to run a country. Proportional requires a lot more careful negotiation with smaller parties, a lot of coalition building, a lot of dull, grown-up compromise. Urgh. First past the post is far more exciting, if you're the sort of person who likes politics in primary colours. A two-horse race! All or nothing! Win or lose! Goodies and baddies! Adventure, corruption, intrigue, last-minute heel turns! Small men doing dangerous things for money! It's a game the two largest parties have spent generations learning to master. This is one of many things that Labour has the power to change in a heartbeat and doesn't dare. But this is no longer a two-party country, and the voting public can no longer be convinced by an appeal to a stability that barely anyone can remember. Sooner or later, Labour has got to come up with something better than 'you should see the other guy'.
