Thousands of Afghans to enter UK

THOUSANDS of people are being relocated to the UK as part of a secret £850 million scheme set up after a personal data leak of Afghans who supported British forces, it can now be reported.

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A dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) was released "in error" in February 2022 by a defence official.

The breach resulted in the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme - the Afghanistan Response Route - in April 2024. The scheme is understood to have cost around £400 million so far, with a projected cost once completed of around £850 million. Millions more is expected to be paid in legal costs and compensation.