Shapps: Saving lives had to be top of whatever I was doing. I would do the same all over again

FORMER defence secretary Grant Shapps said he would “do the same thing all over again” as he defended the cover-up of the Afghanistan data leak.

- By Christian Calgie Senior Political Correspondent

Mr Shapps took the job in August 2023, months after the initial leak in February 2022, and shortly after predecessor Ben Wallace applied for a court order to block journalists revealing details of the scandal.

Speaking for the first time since details were made public, Mr Shapps said he was appalled to learn about the situation after entering the ministry.

He said his immediate focus had been “sorting out the mess” and putting in place new systems to ensure future leaks were avoided.

The former Tory Cabinet minister insisted: “Saving lives had to be top of whatever I was doing in whatever way was required to save those lives.”

He issued a full-throated defence of the superinjunction, insisting: “I would do the same thing all over again. I would walk over hot coals to protect those lives.

“There are just things that the state has to do secretly. Otherwise,

you get to the point where people are saying ‘Why aren’t you releasing the nuclear codes?”

He added: “You simply can’t release everything, and this was one of those times.