British taxpayers could be forced to pay up to £100 million in compensation following a catastrophic data breach by the Ministry of Defence that placed thousands of Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals.
Legal Action Launched Over Catastrophic Failure
Manchester-based law firm Barings Law has initiated legal proceedings against the MoD on behalf of 1,200 individuals affected by the security disaster. The firm has served the Ministry with a letter of claim, the first formal step before a potential High Court case.
The claimants include Afghans who applied for UK relocation and their family members, alongside British nationals who worked for MI6 and UK special forces. Their personal data was lost from a confidential government database, an error officials admitted put approximately 100,000 people ‘at risk of death’ from vengeful Taliban forces who could use the list to target them.
The Secret Evacuation and Super-Injunction
In response to the leak, ministers secretly authorised one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in modern British history, codenamed Operation Rubific. The Daily Mail exclusively revealed that this covert two-year mission, which airlifted thousands to safety via Stansted Airport, was kept hidden by a government super-injunction until July this year.
The High Court heard that ministers in charge of the scheme agreed to spend £7 billion of public money – later revised to around £6 billion – without consulting taxpayers or Parliament. Now, the compensation claims could see the total cost soar significantly higher.
Robert Whitehead, chairman of Barings Law, stated the letter aimed to hold the MoD accountable for a “catastrophic failure” to protect sensitive data. “We have evidence that people named on the leaked database, or those closely connected to them, have since been killed or subjected to intimidation and extortion by the Taliban,” he said.
MoD Vows to Defend as Bill Could Reach £300m
Legal sources estimate that some individual claimants could receive up to £250,000 each in damages, suggesting a total compensation bill ranging from £100 million to £300 million. The MoD has 14 days to respond to the letter of claim.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: “As we have consistently indicated, we will robustly defend against legal action or compensation.” It cited the independent Rimmer Review, conducted by retired civil servant Paul Rimmer, which concluded the threat from merely being on the spreadsheet was “highly unlikely.” This review led to the court lifting the super-injunction.
Mr Whitehead countered, emphasising the profound consequences: “This case is expected to test new legal ground around the rights of data breach victims where the harm extends beyond financial loss to issues of personal safety and loss of life.”
