In a 15th July judgment by the King’s Bench Division of the High Court of Britain, it has been revealed that the UK government has been quietly relocating thousands of Afghans following a serious data breach that happened in 2022. The list of media houses seeking removal of the injunction order included Global Media and Entertainment Limited, Independent Digital News and Media Limited, Times Media Limited, Associated Newspapers Limited, Telegraph Media Group, The Financial Times Limited, the Press Association Limited Company and others. OpIndia accessed a copy of the recent judgment.
The recent revelation has triggered widespread concern over the sheer scale of immigration quietly facilitated by the UK government. While the covert operation may have been driven by humanitarian urgency, it has also raised serious questions about transparency, national security, and the lack of public or parliamentary scrutiny in relocating thousands under the radar.
Reportedly, more than 4,500 Afghans, including hundreds of former military personnel, have been relocated to the United Kingdom under a covert government scheme. The information on the relocation was previously hidden from public knowledge under a super-injunction. Notably, the process of relocation was started following a catastrophic data leak that took place in February 2022.
According to media reports, the relocation process was initiated by the UK government in April 2024. Reportedly, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) official disclosed a spreadsheet without any authorisation in February 2022, which exposed names and personal contact details of around 19,000 Afghans who had applied for asylum in the UK following the Taliban’s seizure of power. The leak remained hidden for over a year and was discovered in August 2023 when details of Afghans made their way to Facebook, putting thousands of asylum seekers at risk of Taliban retribution.
According to the MoD, 600 former Afghan soldiers and around 1,800 of their dependants are still in Afghanistan, waiting for evacuation under what is now known as the Afghan Relocation Route. The UK government has already spent taxpayers’ money amounting to 400 million pounds on the relocation process, and around 450 million pounds might be spent on the scheme in the future.
Cover-up and delayed disclosures
For around two years, the breach and subsequent relocation efforts were kept secret from the public as the Conservative government had obtained a super-injunction in 2023. The order barred any reporting on the leak. Interestingly, the order also barred any reporting on the existence of the injunction itself. The order was recently lifted by Justice Chamberlain, who said that the injunction had “completely shut down the ordinary mechanisms of accountability which operate in a democracy”.
Notably, this was the fourth judgment passed by Justice Chamberlain in the matter. The previous three judgments, which were handed over in private, have also been published.
He noted that it gave rise to a “scrutiny vacuum” and raised “serious free speech concerns”. According to media reports, the court documents pointed out that then-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace personally applied for the gag order, allowing the government to mitigate the risks. The MoD later claimed that the Taliban were likely already aware of the dataset, and publication would not significantly increase threats.
Government apologises, but questions linger
Speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey issued a “sincere apology” to those affected. He acknowledged that the breach was a “serious departmental error”, which was caused by a spreadsheet being emailed outside authorised government systems. Interestingly, no criminal investigation was pursued in the matter by the Metropolitan Police.
While apologising on the matter, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said, “Somebody made a terrible mistake… and we are sorry for that.” However, the government has not disclosed whether any disciplinary action was taken against the official responsible for the leak.
Reportedly, those who were impacted have been informed about the leak, advising them to exercise caution online and avoid responding to unknown contacts. The MoD has refused to confirm if any individuals were harmed as a result of the breach.
Moral obligations and future trust at stake
During the 20-year deployment in Afghanistan alongside the US and NATO forces, the UK forces relied heavily on Afghan allies. The leak has not only endangered lives but also raised serious doubts about Britain’s ability to protect its partners and uphold the promises it made.
