UK welcomes thousands of Afghans as data breach sparks minister\’s call

Exploring Britain’s Secrecy: the Afghan Relocation Scheme

British Defence Minister John Heal Yel‑h ey prosecuted a covert 2024 initiative that had relocated thousands of Afghans—whose risk of Taliban retaliation had surged after the 2022 data leakage—into the UK.

How the Breach Ignited Action

• In Feb 2022, a spreadsheet exposing nearly 19,000 Afghan requesters leaked by a UK official exposed the names, dates and personal details of those wishing to relocate to Britain.
• The leak arrived merely six months after Kabul’s Taliban takeover and furnished the Taliban with vital data.
• Minister Heal Yel‑h ey described the leak as a “serious departmental error” and warned that lives may have been at stake.

How the Secret Response Route Operated

• Under adjudication by the previous Conservative Government, a “secret programme” was launched to protect those deemed “at the highest risk of Taliban reprisals.”
• Within the Afghan Response Route, 900 Afghans and 3,600 family members were moved to Britain or remained in transit.
• By July 2024, the route was fully functioning with an estimated selection cost of £400 million.

Timing, Legal Hurdles and the Labour Intake

• When Labour overtook the Conservatives in Jul 2024, the scheme continued in full swing.
• Consequently, a “super‑injunction” had been levied earlier by the Conservatives to censor all parliamentary and press coverage for the programme.
• In Dec 2023, the now‑Labour Defence Minister had been briefed on the Respond Route while the Conservatives had been in the background.
• The High Court lifted the super‑gag on Tue Aug 2024, thereby allowing Heal Yel‑h ey to lay out the scheme in all of Parliament.

Outcome, Review Findings and Apology

Heal Yel‑h ey concluded that a review of the route had shown almost no evidence of an intent to campaign a Taliban retribution on Afghan beneficiaries. He closed the route, apologized for the breach, and emphasized the breach “should never have happened.”

These developments reveal the complex interplay of data integrity, security policy, and vocal public responsibility in British Afghanistan relocation policy. Testing the success of the Response Route sheds light on the governance and openness needed to ensure global safety in human‑migration processes.