Government has ‘no time to waste’ to protect relatives of Afghans named in data leak

The government has been urged to let hero Afghans granted sanctuary in Britain bring their loved ones to the UK after a major data breach put the lives of up to 100,000 people at risk from the Taliban.

- HOLLY BANCROFT HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

More than 50 refugee charities and lawyers have written to Yvette Cooper, urging her to make it easier for Afghans who were allowed to relocate to the UK due to British links to bring family members - many of whom are at risk of reprisals - with them.

The pleas come after revelations that a “catastrophic” data leak occurred at the Ministry of Defence in February 2022, which led to the details of thousands of Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban and had applied for sanctuary in Britain being shared online.

The dataset, inadvertently sent out by a member of the armed forces, included the personal details of applicants to the MoD’s Arap resettlement scheme, which allows Afghans who supported British troops to seek sanctuary in the UK.

The leak was covered up by a superinjunction, which was lifted in July this year after The Independent challenged the draconian legal order at the High Court. Ms Cooper has now been told that the government “has no time to waste” if it “wants to prevent the worst possible consequences of the data leak becoming a dire reality”.

Charity workers and solicitors, including representatives from Asylum Aid and modern slavery charity Kalayaan, told Ms Cooper: “The UK government has a moral responsibility to the Afghan people who continue to suffer, including now as a result of the data leak, and have no choice but to seek safety elsewhere.