Former UK Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace has said he makes “no apology” for halting media reporting on a major data breach that exposed the personal information of thousands of Afghans who supported British forces.

Writing in The Telegraph, Wallace defended the government’s decision to apply for a High Court injunction in 2023 to prevent details of the leak from being published, stating it was “not a cover-up” but a necessary step to safeguard lives.

In February 2022, nearly 19,000 people who had applied for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) had their data leaked, including names, contact details, and family information. However, the breach only came to the attention of the then-Conservative government in August 2023 when portions of the list surfaced on Facebook.

Sir Ben, who was defence secretary at the time, said he acted immediately upon learning of the incident. “I was determined that the first priority was to protect all those that might be at risk,” he wrote. “Some may disagree but imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list. I would dread to think what would have happened.”

The data leak remained hidden from the public until this week, when a High Court judge lifted the gagging order, revealing both the breach and the government’s response.

In April 2024, the government launched a new scheme — the Afghanistan Response Route — specifically to resettle those affected by the leak. So far, around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the UK under the programme, which is expected to cost taxpayers approximately £850 million.

The leak sparked fear among affected Afghan families. Speaking in an interview, the daughter of an Afghan translator whose data was exposed said her family “panicked” when they learned of the breach. “No one knows where the data has been sent to – it could be sent to the Taliban,” she said. “My grandmother is still in Afghanistan. She’s completely vulnerable.”

The government has faced criticism for its handling of the situation, particularly for keeping Parliament and the public in the dark. Downing Street refused to confirm if disciplinary action had been taken against the official responsible, though Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons that the individual is “no longer doing the same job” and issued a “sincere apology” on behalf of the government.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also issued an apology, acknowledging the party’s failure in managing the breach.

Former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith criticised the prolonged secrecy. “Parliament cannot be ignored for that length of time,” he said. “We owe a duty to the public to at least have examined this.”

Chioma Kalu

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