US Edition
Starmer says former Tory ministers have 'serious questions to answer' over Afghan data breach
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 16 – A Ministry of Defence error exposed nearly 19,000 Afghan applicants' data, prompting a secret £850 million relocation scheme and raising concerns over government transparency.
- The UK Prime Minister said that former Conservative ministers must address serious concerns regarding the data breach in February 2022 that mistakenly exposed sensitive details of 25,000 applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
- The breach occurred when a defence official emailed a dataset outside authorised systems, which was later posted anonymously online, and concealed by a superinjunction imposed in 2023 to protect Afghan lives.
- Subsequently, the government launched the confidential Afghanistan Response Route in April 2024, a £850 million initiative aimed at relocating vulnerable Afghans, while the Commons Defence Committee announced it will begin an inquiry once Parliament returns following the summer break.
- John Healey, the current Defence Secretary, admitted to shortcomings inherited from previous administration, including the data breach and the use of an injunction. His predecessor, Ben Wallace, defended the decision to seek the injunction as a necessary measure to protect vulnerable Afghans, rejecting claims that it was intended to conceal information.
- An independent review published recently concluded the leaked dataset is unlikely to increase Taliban targeting risks but raised significant constitutional issues and affirmed the need for parliamentary scrutiny of past government failures.
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18 Articles
18 Articles
Ministers from Britain's previous Conservative government must answer serious questions about a secret plan to resettle thousands of Afghans whose lives were put at risk by a data leak, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday.
·Estonia
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Afghan data leak scandal leaves 'serious questions' for Tories, Keir Starmer says - The Mirror
Tens of thousands of lives were put at risk when a database with details about thousands of Afghans trying to escape the Taliban were emailed out in a horrific MOD mistake
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 33%
R 17%
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