Incident Overview
In February 2022, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) official accidentally emailed a spreadsheet containing personal data of around 18,700 Afghan applicants under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The file included over 33,000 entries, including names, contact details and family links.
The breach remained undiscovered until August 2023 when excerpts appeared on a public Facebook group.
Secrecy & Legal Suppression
In September 2023, the Government obtained a super‑injunction, the first ever issued contra mundum, suppressing all public or parliamentary mention of the breach or the order itself.
The injunction was only lifted in July 2025, allowing full media coverage and parliamentary scrutiny.
Protective Response & Relocations
In April 2024, the Government launched a secret resettlement programme — the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) — to offer UK relocation to individuals affected and judged at risk as a result of the breach.
By mid‑2025, about 6,900 people and their dependants had been relocated under the ARR. In total, around 36,000 Afghans had been resettled in the UK via ARAP, ARR and related schemes.
Projected cost of the ARR is estimated at £850 million and total associated costs (relocation, compensation, legal, public schemes) have reached £5.5–7 billion
Consequences & Affected Individuals
The exposed dataset put individuals—including translators, local staff and their families—at serious risk of Taliban reprisals or targeting.
An earlier, separate MoD breach in 2021 revealed personal details of 265 Afghan interpreters via a mis‑sent group email; the ICO issued a £350,000 fine in Dec 2023, describing it as “particularly egregious”.
Near 1,000 affected individuals have expressed interest in legal claims, with over 665 formal proceedings filed by mid‑2025.
Accountability & Government Response
Defence Secretary John Healey publicly apologised in Parliament in July 2025, announcing closure of the secret ARR scheme and new data protections.
The Intelligence and Security Committee, Defence Select Committee and several law firms are conducting investigations or representing potential claimants.
Why This Matters
Scale of Exposure – Tens of thousands affected, with high-risk personal data mishandled.
Secrecy and Delay – The breach was concealed for nearly three years under a court order.
Official Cover-Up – Parliamentary oversight was suppressed; information only emerged after legal pressure.
Compensation Claims – Legal action is already underway; claimants may be entitled to compensation for distress, anxiety and concrete losses.
Policy Reform – Major scrutiny and legal reviews currently underway; stronger data protection promised.
If you are an Afghan national or family member whose personal data may have been compromised by the MoD breach:
- Register your interest now to join a potential group claim against the Ministry of Defence.
- Claims are being coordinated through law firms with specialist expertise.
- You could be entitled to substantial compensation for breach-related distress, eligibility denial, or failure to protect your safety.
