MoD expects 7,355 Afghans to settle in UK after data leak

More than 7,300 Afghans are expected to be resettled in the UK as a result of a major government data breach, according to a National Audit Office report that raises doubts over officials' claims of an £850m cost.

- Daniel Boffey

The accidental leak by an MoD official in 2022 of details of 18,700 Afghans who had worked with or for the British government led to the opening of a new route by which those endangered could seek relocation to the UK from their home country.

The MoD expects 7,355 people to be resettled through the so-called Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) as a direct result of the breach, including the family members of those directly impacted, the NAO said.

The watchdog said that the government was unable to calculate the exact cost of its response.

The £850m estimate did not include legal costs or compensation claims, and doubts were raised by the NAO about the "completeness and accuracy" of the base figure.

It said: "The MoD estimates that, as of July 2025, the government had spent around £400m on resettling people through the ARR and that it would spend around a further £450m on the scheme.