UK Government Accused of Freezing Afghan Relocations Despite Pledge to Honour Commitments
The High Court has heard that the UK government has effectively placed a freeze on relocating Afghan families who were approved for sanctuary in Britain, despite defence secretary John Healey's public pledge to honour the nation's debt to them. Lawyers representing Afghans eligible for relocation due to their previous work alongside British forces revealed that evacuations from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have stopped entirely.
Legal Challenge Reveals Information Black Hole
During a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, barrister Tim Owen KC, representing claimant FRY, told the judge that "on the face of it it appears there is a freeze on relocations from Afghanistan." He described how claimants are facing a complete information black hole, with most legal proceedings occurring in secret sessions where their legal teams are excluded.
The case involves two Afghans, identified as FRY and BNM1 for their protection, who have been approved for UK relocation but remain trapped in Afghanistan. They are challenging the Ministry of Defence over the indefinite delays to their evacuation, despite having received official confirmation of their relocation status.
Contradiction Between Policy and Practice
Mr Owen pointed to a recent statement from armed forces minister Luke Pollard that committed the MoD to providing support and relocation for eligible Afghans in third countries like Pakistan, but notably excluded those still in Afghanistan. This contradicts defence secretary John Healey's parliamentary statement following the MoD data breach scandal, where he promised to honour invitations already made to "any named person still in Afghanistan and their immediate family."
Healey told MPs: "I will reiterate the commitment we made then to process every single outstanding Arap (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) application and relocate those who may prove eligible." However, evidence presented to the court suggests this commitment is not being fulfilled in practice.
Individual Cases Highlight Systemic Failure
Barrister David Sellwood, representing claimant BNM1, detailed how his client applied to the Arap resettlement programme in November 2021, received approval for relocation in August 2024 subject to security checks, and had his relocation confirmed in July last year. Despite this, the Afghan national remains trapped in Afghanistan with no evacuation in sight.
The claimants are seeking to have their cases joined for a joint hearing in June, arguing that their situations represent a broader pattern of failure in the UK's Afghan relocation efforts.
Data Breach Scandal Compounds Crisis
The relocation freeze comes against the backdrop of a major MoD data breach that exposed personal details of 18,700 applicants to Afghan resettlement schemes in 2022. The breach, only discovered in summer 2023 when a spreadsheet portion appeared on social media, sparked what has been described as one of the most extraordinary secret government operations in modern history.
An unprecedented superinjunction was used to cover up the breach until it was lifted in July last year, revealing that thousands of Afghans potentially put at risk by the data leak are still waiting for evacuation more than six months later.
Scale of the Humanitarian Crisis
According to freedom of information requests, approximately 400 Afghans who supported British efforts and had their personal information breached remain trapped in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, along with about 1,900 family members. Campaigners argue that UK evacuations are "working far too slowly when people's lives are threatened."
The resettlement schemes for Afghans were closed suddenly in July last year, just before the superinjunction covering the data breach was lifted. This has created a situation where those approved for relocation before the closure now find themselves in legal limbo, with no clear pathway to safety despite official promises.
The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment regarding the allegations presented in court, but no response has been provided at this time. The case continues to highlight the ongoing challenges facing Afghans who worked alongside British forces and now seek sanctuary from Taliban rule.
