Inquiry finds MoD Afghan data breach was foreseeable failure

A data breach that exposed the personal details of thousands of Afghans applying to seek refuge in the UK from the Taliban was a "foreseeable" failure, according to a parliamentary inquiry. The leak surfaced in August 2023, but an unprecedented super-injunction legally barred any news reporting on the incident until July 2025.

The committee noted that the breach stemmed from a Ministry of Defence personnel member sharing a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with a trusted third party. The file contained records of more than 18,500 applicants under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme, which was established in April 2021 to assist those whose lives were endangered due to their work with British armed forces in Afghanistan before closing in July 2025.

Committee chairman Tan Dhesi criticized the MoD heavily, stating that the department should stick to defense rather than running immigration casework schemes. He also blasted the culture of secrecy, pointing out that the super-injunction originally expected to last four months remained in place for nearly two years, imposing severe costs on public accountability and institutional trust.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"The Ministry of Defence should stick to defence - it should never have been left to run immigration casework schemes."

Tan Dhesi

The report further scrutinized the role of UK Special Forces in the resettlement process, noting instances where a single officer rejected 1,585 applications within weeks without a single approval. This led to a mandatory government review in 2024, resulting in 884 overturned rejections for former Afghan special forces personnel. An MoD spokesperson expressed regret over the incident, confirming that robust data protection standards and reformed case-working processes have since been implemented.

Source: BBC Politics