More than 7,000 Afghans will be given new lives in Britain after a Ministry of Defence data breach exposed their personal details and left them at risk of Taliban reprisals. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) confirms that the government set up a dedicated resettlement route in response to the 2022 leak, but also warns that ministers may have underestimated the true cost of the programme.
Leak Triggered Emergency Pathway
The breach happened when an MoD official accidentally circulated a spreadsheet containing over 33,000 entries. Around 18,700 Afghans were directly identified, many of whom had worked for or alongside the UK government during its mission in Afghanistan. Some entries even listed relatives, further heightening the danger. In the aftermath, the government launched the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), which is expected to resettle 7,355 people, including family members.
Rising Costs and Unanswered Questions
The MoD believes the scheme will cost about £850 million in total, with £400 million already spent by July 2025 and a further £450 million expected. On average, officials put the price of resettling each person at £128,000. But the NAO said it had not been given enough evidence to verify those figures, noting that legal costs and possible compensation claims had not been included. This leaves the real cost to taxpayers unclear.
Superinjunction Kept Breach Secret
In August 2023, after the leak was discovered, the MoD went to the High Court to prevent the information from becoming public. A superinjunction was granted, blocking any mention of both the breach and the injunction itself. Judges accepted that disclosure could have endangered lives. To maintain secrecy, the MoD also avoided itemising ARR spending in its accounts. The order remained in place until July 2025, when Defence Secretary John Healey concluded that the scheme was no longer proportionate to the risks faced.
Lawmakers Push for Clarity
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, said the government still has much to explain. “Confusion remains over the reported £850 million costs relating to the breach, with the MoD unable to provide sufficient assurance over their numbers,” he said. The committee will examine the matter next week, while the NAO continues to review the UK’s wider Afghan resettlement schemes.
A Wider Debate Over Afghan Allies
The data breach has revived criticism of how Britain has handled the relocation of Afghan partners since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. While thousands have been resettled, campaigners argue that many who supported British forces remain stranded in unsafe conditions. With the ARR now closed and its full price tag still unknown, ministers face growing pressure to show they can deliver both accountability and protection for those who risked their lives to help the UK.
