PM: Tories have questions to answer over Afghan data breach and superinjunction

Tory ex-ministers have “serious questions to answer” about the Afghan data leak which resulted in an £850 million secret relocation scheme and an unprecedented legal gagging order, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Prime Minister hit out at the Tories over the “major data breach” which saw a defence official release details of almost 19,000 people seeking to flee Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban.

Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of a scheme set up after the breach which was kept secret as the result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday.

Failings

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy and yesterday, the Defence Secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

“Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.”

He suggested the Conservatives should “welcome” scrutiny from the Commons Defence Committee.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: ““This episode raises significant constitutional issues.”

Tory former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he makes “no apology” for applying for the initial injunction and insisted it was “not a cover-up” but was motivated by the need to protect people in Afghanistan whose safety was at risk.