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Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
I've fought the secret state for decades. Afghan scandal is no surprise
One of the things that struck me most noticeably when moving to the UK from the US in 1997 was the secrecy of the state toward its citizens. Having worked as a crime reporter in America, I discovered that most of the public records and information I used to do my job were actually illegal to access in the UK. I found the secrecy wasn't unique to law enforcement but rather a default attitude among officials. It didn't matter if I were asking for details of food hygiene inspections, parliamentary expenses or police reports, the attitude was the same. A kind of disbelief and then a patronising disdain, by which I was meant to understand that it was not my 'place' as a mere citizen — or subject as I learnt was the UK term — to ask for a full accounting from agents of the state. Instead, I should silently let officials get on with the important business of making decisions in my name and with my money. 'Put up, shut up' seemed to be the norm. This didn't strike me as particularly democratic. I remember battling in 2004 with the Highways Agency, now known as Highways England, just to get contact information for its new freedom of information officer. I was putting together a book, Your Right to Know, about people's new rights under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 that was coming into force in 2005. I thought it would be a game-changer for British democracy and I wanted to include contact details for the new FOI units in public agencies. I was used to naming public officials. In America it was no big deal; anonymity was only used if there was a valid reason. But you would have thought I'd asked for nuclear codes such was the shock and pushback I received to this simple request. The idea of providing actual names was anathema and I began to wonder who was the master here, and who the servant. The more I researched my book, the angrier I became. With all the idealism and arrogance of youth, I set out on behalf of the beleaguered British citizen to bring transparency to this secretive and feudal country, training hundreds of journalists to use the FOI Act and making requests myself. The result is probably one you know, when a five-year legal battle culminated in a High Court victory in 2008. I'm talking, of course, about MPs' expenses. Yet even after the court ruling, MPs still refused to publish their full expenses, arguing the public couldn't be trusted with the raw data and so it had to be 'redacted' at great expense and time. • MPs demand to know why they were kept in the dark over Afghan leak The months dragged on while MPs tried to find ways to exempt themselves from their own FOI law. It wasn't until a year later that full details were finally revealed, after an insider who worked in the room where the data was being redacted leaked the full list to the highest bidder on Fleet Street. The civilian employee said he leaked details of the claims because he was angry that, at the same time MPs were secretively claiming for plasma televisions and duck houses, Britain's armed forces in Afghanistan were having to work two jobs just to buy body armour and other vital equipment. A lot has changed since then but not, it seems, the British state's penchant for secrecy. Or the military's supercilious way of dealing with people in Afghanistan. Last week it was revealed that for two years the government used wide-ranging powers to prevent UK media reporting on a data leak of the names of 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in 2021. These included interpreters and military assistants who trusted the Ministry of Defence with their personal details and those of their families. Instead of those people being notified they were on a 'kill list', the MoD opted instead to try to lock down all knowledge of the leak. This is how authoritarian states are used to controlling information, but it's become much harder in the digital age. And indeed, while the MoD was successful in gagging the press, the information continued to flow online. As one of the Afghans, a woman known as Person A, told The Times: 'Lives could have been saved if everyone had been told about the leak back in August 2023. It would have enabled them to flee into Iran or Pakistan, which would have bought them some time. These families trusted the MoD and sat waiting for evacuation.' • Larisa Brown: I investigated the Afghan data leak. Ministers were gambling with death The MoD did eventually relocate 7,000 Afghan nationals to the UK, which cost about £850 million of taxpayer money. These were not always the Afghans most in danger, however, but rather those most likely to spread awareness of the leak. The privacy injunction, initially granted for only four months on September 1, 2023, meant there could be no public scrutiny or parliamentary oversight of this decision. The MoD claimed it needed this unprecedented secrecy to get those most in danger out of Afghanistan. But this did not happen, and instead it sought longer and longer extensions. In fact, it was only later, after media court action, that the MoD began relocating Afghans in large numbers. The superinjunction was lifted only on July 15 this year. Secrecy, in the hands of the powerful, is too easy a tool to abuse. The distance from protection to cover-up is short, and a tool initially intended to help can quickly morph into causing harm. That's why it should never be a default for anyone in power, but rather an exception. When I was appointed to the Independent Surveillance Review panel, a group convened in 2014 by the deputy prime minister at the time, Nick Clegg, to look at the legality, effectiveness and privacy implications of mass government surveillance, I saw how the former heads of the intelligence agencies were often blind to the dangers of secrecy. They had a faith in officialdom that I didn't share. Where they saw officials using secrecy only for the good of the people, I saw a tool easily abused to hide mistakes, cover up embarrassments and accrue power that corrodes democracy. Such an abuse of secrecy is clear from the Afghan data leak. Instead of owning the mistake and fixing it, the MoD wasted considerable public money to hide the breach for two years, putting many Afghans in harm's way. Secrecy used in this way is not for the protection of the people, but the protection of the powerful. It's about preserving the reputations of officials at all costs. The MoD's use of a worldwide gagging order to cover up its mistake makes it clear that such injunctions have no place in a democracy. The press has a hard enough time getting basic information out of the British state, it shouldn't have to fight battles in secret courts as well. Heather Brooke is an investigative journalist and the author of The Revolution Will Be Digitised
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Section of the A3 near Wisley to close all weekend
A section of a main road in Surrey is set to be closed in both directions on one of the busiest travel weekends of the A3 will be closed between Junction 10 (Wisley interchange) and the A245 Painshill Roundabout from 21:00 BST on Friday until 06:00 on closure is being rolled out amid ongoing works at the busiest section of the M25 which involve widening the A3 where it meets the Wade, the agency's senior project manager, said: "As we approach the very final stages of our work on the M25, we are also stepping up our efforts to improve the A3. "We have already installed all of the eight bridges and a dozen new gantries on the carriageway, as well as carrying out plenty of vital environmental work."We thank drivers and the local community for their patience and ask anyone travelling during these times to plan their journeys carefully."Full details of diversions are available here.A further two weekend closures, one in August and one in September, will involve restrictions on parts of the A3 near junction 10.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
School student 'has had enough' after second crash on same Orpington road
A student forced to walk to school by a crash says it ruined the mornings of 'hundreds of people' in Orpington. Aryaan Shaikh says he was one of many people 'late and frustrated' after Crofton Road was closed for the second time today (July 4) in around a month. Orpington A-road closed after crash near pre-school The 17-year-old student at St Olave's Grammar School believes something must be done to make the road safer. He told the News Shopper: 'As someone who relies on this route daily, I've had enough. Crofton Road isn't just any street – it's the main artery serving multiple schools and local businesses. (Image: Aryaan Shaikh) 'Every time there's an incident, and there are too many, the knock-on effects are massive. Today proved that yet again.' It is alleged that a Toyota Yaris collided with a 61 bus, but this has not been confirmed by emergency services. Buses were diverted and traffic built up as Crofton Road was cordoned off. A similar crash round the corner closed Crofton Lane on May 20 when a BMW struck street furniture with two people rushed to hospital. (Image: Aryaan Shaikh) Aryaan believes these are not isolated incidents but are due to a problem with the road. He added: 'The Highways Agency must stop treating these crashes as isolated incidents. There's clearly a problem with this stretch of road – whether it's poor visibility, dangerous junctions, or inadequate safety measures. 'We need proper solutions now – better road design, stricter enforcement, or both. Because next time, it might not just be disrupted mornings we're dealing with, but something far worse.' Nobody was hurt in the crash on July 4. We contacted Bromley Council for comment.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major motorway bridge to CLOSE this week with diversion in place
A MAJOR motorway bridge is set to close this week with a diversion in place - drivers should check their routes. Drivers are facing potential disruption this week as parts of the M4 will be shut due to planned roadworks. 2 2 Different sections of the motorway in both east and west Wales will be impacted, including the Wenallt Road Overbridge. The Wenallt Road Overbridge will be closed in both directions to facilitate structural inspections. And diversions will be in place from 19th May until the 20th May from 8pm until 5am. Other sections of the M4 motorway in both east and west Wales will also be impacted. Including the Prince of Wales Bridge, Baglan, Llandarcy and Llangyfelach. The closures are only in place overnight, but as many of the closures come into force at 8pm it may affect your travelling. At Junction 22 Pilning/Prince of Wales Bridge to J23 Rogiet, the Prince of Wales bridge will be closed for maintenance work. And diversions will be in place from the 19th May until the 22nd May from 9pm until 6am. The tunnel will be closed for maintenance work at Junction 25A Grove Park to J28 Tredegar Park. Diversions will be in place from the 20th May until the 22nd May from 8pm until 6am. The entry slip road at Junction 41 Pentyla/Baglan will be closed for electrical work and diversions in place from 19th May until 20th May from 8pm until 6am. At J43 Llandarcy to J42 Earlswood, the entry slip road, exit slip road and one lane will be closed for electrical work. Diversions will be in place from the 19th May until the 20th May from 8pm until 6am. At J46 Llangyfelach to J47 Penllergaer, the entry slip road, exit slip road and one lane will be closed. With diversions in place from 20th May until the 21st May from 8pm until 6am. Meanwhile, a major link road of the M5 is set to shut for three months, sparking fury from local businesses. The route connects to Junction 26 of the M5 in Somerset, and will be completely closed from Friday, June 16 until Tuesday, September 16, while £5.7 million of upgrade works are carried out.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Relief as major route set to reopen on time
HS2 works that have closed a major Warwickshire road for almost three weeks are on target to finish on time, the Highways Agency says. A stretch of the A46 near Kenilworth has been shut since 11 April while a 14,500-tonne box structure was installed underneath it, causing major disruption for motorists. The agency said it was "very confident" the route would reopen as planned at 06:00 BST on Thursday. Spokesperson Victoria Lazenby thanked residents for their patience and said the significant stage of the work was "soon to be completed". Two lanes will reopen on both north and southbound carriageways between the Stivichall Interchange (Festival Island) and the Thickthorn Island, with a 50mph (80.4km/h) speed limit in place. A single-lane closure on both sides of the carriageway is expected to remain until July. John McNiff, project director at HS2 contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci, said workers removed 200m (218.7yd) of road then dug out the equivalent of 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools of material. The box structure, which was built on site, was then pushed 213ft (65m) into place, he added, and a bridge brought in to "millimetre precision" so the carriageway could be rebuilt over the top. Cameron Thomas from HS2 has worked on the project for seven years and said the installation of the bridge was a "career high". "I'm smiling from ear to ear because the level of anxiety I felt when it was being pushed was through the roof," he said. He described the precision of its design and installation as "incredible", adding: "It was overwhelming to witness and a hugely proud moment for me." Road users and residents have complained of disruption while the signed diversion route is in place. Chris Patting, who lives in Kenilworth, said the traffic had been "quite shocking" and it was "difficult to get anywhere in the car". "The junction of New Street, Bridge Street, High Street and Fieldgate Lane is the worst, with huge HGVs trying to get through there and causing a huge pile-up," she said. Another resident, Mike Hull, said he had seen cars driving on the footpath and been avoiding going into town "at all costs" due to the diversion route. "The HGVs are really struggling to get round the small streets. As a pedestrian, it's a bit of run to get into the park for safety," he added. Ms Lazenby said she knew the people of Kenilworth and Stoneleigh would have "felt it the most", but added the works were "on track" to be completed by Thursday. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'HS2 road closures mean staff can't get to work' Coach company dreading delays amid road closure Three-week A46 closure for HS2 'will disrupt town' Drivers warned of three-week A46 closure HS2 Balfour Beatty Vinci
