The UK government used an unprecedented superinjunction to suppress a data breach that led to a secret scheme relocating thousands of Afghans at a potential cost of over £2bn, it has emerged. The gagging order, the first sought by a British government, prevented media disclosure of the breach for nearly two years until it was lifted by the High Court on Tuesday.
The data leak occurred in early 2022 when a Ministry of Defence official mistakenly sent personal information of 18,700 Afghans who had applied to come to the UK. The error was discovered in August 2023 after the data was posted to a Facebook group. Panicked ministers secured a superinjunction, fearing that publicity could put lives at risk if the Taliban obtained the list.
The concealment hid the creation of the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), a hastily designed mitigation scheme offering relocation to 15,000 Afghans. Defence Secretary John Healey apologised to Parliament, saying he was "deeply uncomfortable" about the lack of transparency. He announced the immediate halt of the ARR, saving an estimated £1.2bn, but pledged to honour 600 outstanding invitations affecting around 1,800 people.
Healey revealed the leaked spreadsheet included details of MPs, senior military officers and government officials linked to individual claims. The defence official who erred had mistakenly believed they were sending 150 names. The total cost of all Afghan relocation schemes since the Taliban takeover now stands at between £5.5bn and £6bn, with 36,000 people arrived by March.
A Cabinet Office memo from February 2025 noted that keeping the ARR open would relocate 25,000 Afghans at a time when the UK's asylum and immigration system was under strain. The superinjunction was lifted after the High Court ruled that concealing discussions about such significant spending was no longer justified.
