The UK government has admitted it used an unprecedented superinjunction to suppress a data breach that led to a secret relocation scheme for 15,000 Afghans, potentially costing over £2 billion. The gagging order, which prevented media reporting until it was lifted on Tuesday, concealed both the breach and the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) for nearly two years.
Defence Secretary John Healey apologised to Parliament, saying he was "deeply uncomfortable" with the lack of transparency. The breach occurred in early 2022 when a Ministry of Defence official mistakenly emailed personal information of 18,700 Afghan applicants to a Facebook group. The government obtained a superinjunction in August 2023 to avoid endangering lives should the Taliban access the data.
High Court Judge Mr Justice Chamberlain lifted the order, stating it had hidden spending decisions of "the sort of money which makes a material difference to government spending plans." Healey confirmed the ARR will be halted, saving an estimated £1.2 billion in future costs. The scheme has already cost £850 million, helping about 6,900 people, with 900 Afghans currently in Britain or in transit along with 3,600 family members.
The defence secretary said the UK will honour 600 outstanding invitations to Afghans still in Afghanistan, benefiting around 1,800 people, but the halt will prevent 9,500 others from relocating. Overall, 36,000 Afghans have arrived under all schemes since the Taliban takeover, with total costs projected at £5.5 billion to £6 billion.
