Thousands of Afghans brought to UK in secret £850,000,000 scheme after data leak
Around 19,000 Afghan nationals who helped support British forces had their personal details revealed when a dataset was released 'in error' in February 2022.
More than two years later, in April 2024 – three months before the 2024 election – a secret relocation scheme called the Afghanistan Response Route was set up.
It is understood this programme has cost around £400 million so far, and is projected to cost around £850 million once completed.
Additional legal costs and compensation are expected to add millions more to the total bill. More Trending
It took more than a year for the Ministry of Defence to become aware of the data breach, which was the result of an apparent mistake by a defence official.
Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.
The extent of the issue was discovered when excerpts from the dataset were posted to a Facebook group in August 2023.
Details of the scheme can only be revealed now, after an unprecedented superinjunction was lifted.
The court order prevented the media, Parliament and the public from finding out about the Afghanistan Response Route.
It is thought to be the first time the government has ever used such an order against the media.
Court documents show the Ministry of Defence only initially asked for the superinjunction to stay in place for four months.
But it took more than two years for it to finally be lifted at the High Court today.
Judges said in 2024 that between 80,000 and 100,000 people could be at risk of harassment, torture or death if the Taliban obtained the data in the breach.
But an independent review commissioned by the government in January this year concluded the data breach was 'unlikely to profoundly change the existing risk profile of individuals named'.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
MORE: Middle class hell after brie and Camembert are blocked from entering UK
MORE: What changes to mortgages for first-time buyers means for you
MORE: You could be given £3,750 off electric cars under new government grant scheme
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
27 minutes ago
- Metro
British ‘assassin' on the run found in Spain with weapons after crashing car
A British man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in Spain after crashing his car near a coastal resort. The man was detained by officers in the area of Riviera Sol near La Cala de Mijas in Malaga. He was found to be carrying several firearms loaded with ammunition, as well as a silencer. Pictures also showed the unnamed Brit was in possession of a book called'The Buddha in your mirror', subtitled 'Practical Buddhism and the Search for the Self'. Local police had attended a dispute at a nearby petrol station and were informed by two Dutch women they had been bothered by a man who had already left in his car who had tried to sell them cocaine. An accident was then reported on Orfebras Street, where a black edition Nissan Qashqai was pictured smashed up against the kerb. The man attempted to flee the scene with visible injuries but was arrested by police. According to Malaga-based newspaper Diario Sur, the man was not carrying any documentation and was identified through biometrics. The report adds that the suspect is wanted for several murders and had an immediate prison warrant issued by a Fuengirola court. Officers found two guns in the car as well as a silencer, cartridges and bullets. They also discovered a notebook with names and addresses. A spokesperson for Mijas Local Police said: 'While conducting surveillance work in La Cala de Mijas, officers were called yesterday to deal with an altercation at a petrol station in the area. 'Upon arrival, they interviewed a customer at the station who stated that a foreign man who had been harassing her had already driven away from the scene. More Trending 'Shortly afterwards, a call was received alerting us to an accident on Orfebres Street in Riviera. 'Upon arrival the officers found a damaged vehicle that matched the one involved in the incident at the petrol station. 'The driver attempted to flee when he saw police but was quickly intercepted by the officers. Once identified, they verified that he was a British man with a warrant for his arrest and remand in prison for murder. 'He was also carrying several firearms and a large amount of ammunition which were seized.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I stayed in the Airbnb alternative trying to do things differently MORE: Family forced to hide in their cabin during £8,000 cruise from hell MORE: Parents abandon son, 10, at airport to catch flight after his passport expired'
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Prison officer ‘had relationship with 17-year-old young offender inmate'
A former prison officer has been accused of being in a relationship with one her teenage inmates and smuggling cannabis inside jail walls. Ruta Indrasiunaite, from Mitcham, south London, is said to have been in a relationship with 17-year-old Royston Perry at HMP Cookham Wood, a Young Offenders' Institution in Rochester, between April and November 2021. The 38-year-old allegedly brought cannabis inside the jail and took a list of approved PIN telephone numbers for a prisoner. She appeared before magistrates in Sevenoaks on July 31, and denied charges of misconduct in public office, bringing a prohibited article to a prison and taking a restricted document out of the establishment the same year. It's alleged she engaged in a personal relationship with Perry, who is now 21, between April 29, 2021 and November 30, the same year. He also appeared in the dock charged with two counts of conspiring to bring drugs and mobiles into the prison, as well as helping to smuggle in cannabis. Indrasiunaite was granted bail while Perry is currently being held in HMP Bristol. Both are expected to appear at Maidstone Crown Court for their preliminary hearings on August 29. It comes as another prison officer, Isabelle Dale, 23, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with two inmates at the same time and plotted with them to smuggle drugs into the jail. She is said to have had an inappropriate relationship with prisoner Shahid Sharif, 33, between September 2021 and December 2022. She is also accused of having a second jailhouse lover, 28-year-old Connor Money, at the same time. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Girl, four, hit by car and killed walking back from Eid celebration with mum MORE: I bought a £420,000 flat with a friend — and then we fell out MORE: 'Ring of steel' erected after far-right protestors clash outside migrant hotel
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Probe launched into Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for ‘illegal political activity' after Don charged 41 times
Trump was slapped with a federal indictment in 2023 over allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election ALL DON THE LINE Probe launched into Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for 'illegal political activity' after Don charged 41 times Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FEDERAL officials have opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who investigated then-candidate Donald Trump before his reelection to a second term. The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, on Saturday confirmed the investigation. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to members of the media at the US Department of Justice building in Washington, DC Credit: AFP 3 Donald Trump has ripped prosecutor Jack Smith after his election interference report was released Credit: AP 3 Smith believes Trump would've been convicted had he lost the 2024 election Credit: AFP Trump was slapped with a federal indictment in 2023 over allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election. It was one of four indictments leveled against the president-elect after he left office in 2021. Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, obstruction and conspiracy to obstruct, and conspiracy against rights. The case never made it to trial before the presidential election and was subsequently dropped following Trump's victory. However, Smith's findings were published just one week before Trump's inauguration, when he will be sworn in as the 47th president. Smith's report claimed Trump tried to retain power after losing to Biden by "using fraud and deceit." He also claimed Trump pressured election officials at the state level in a desperate bid to try and change the results. Trump was also said to have pressured then vice-president Mike Pence, who was President of the Senate, to change the election result, according to the report. Smith revealed that his team had "admissible evidence," which he believes would've helped them get a conviction against Trump - had he not won the 2024 election. "The department's view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind," the report said. Trump vehemently denied any allegations of election interference following his indictment. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
