The UK government established a covert, multibillion-pound programme to relocate tens of thousands of Afghans following a devastating data breach — and enforced an unprecedented media blackout through a “super-injunction” to prevent public scrutiny, according to a Financial Times investigation.
The secret operation, known as the Afghan Response Route, was initiated after a British soldier accidentally exposed the personal details of around 25,000 Afghan nationals, many of whom had assisted UK forces before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The breach, which occurred in February 2022, was only discovered in August 2023 after screenshots of the sensitive data surfaced in a Facebook group.
The compromised database included names, contact details, and email addresses — some of UK officials — and was later estimated to have placed up to 100,000 individuals at risk, once extended family members were accounted for. British intelligence concluded those exposed faced threats of torture, murder, and persecution by the Taliban.
To address the fallout, ministers under then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched the secret relocation scheme. By February 2025, under the current Labour administration led by Sir Keir Starmer, plans were underway to bring 25,000 Afghans to Britain over five years at an estimated cost of £7 billion, internal government documents show.
A memo seen by the Financial Times states:
“The current policy response… will mean relocating c25,000 Afghans… This will mean relocating more Afghans to the UK than have been relocated under the ARAP scheme, at a time when the UK’s immigration and asylum system is under significant strain.”
The programme was conducted under a super-injunction, a rarely used legal tool that not only barred media from reporting on the programme, but also prohibited acknowledging its existence. It was the first time the UK government obtained such an injunction, which remained in place from September 2023 until its partial lifting by the High Court earlier this week.
Even now, many critical details remain legally suppressed under an interim order.
Secret Scheme Ends Amid Backlash and Budget Strains
As the High Court moved to lift secrecy, the government abruptly ended the scheme. Defence Secretary John Healey announced its closure in a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, admitting the programme’s existence for the first time.
“This serious data incident should never have happened,” said Healey, who issued a formal apology on behalf of the government. “It may have occurred three years ago under the previous government, but to all whose data was compromised, I offer a sincere apology today.”
Healey disputed the £7bn estimate, calling it outdated and noting revised forecasts brought the total cost of all Afghan relocation efforts to £6bn. However, Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials confirmed that at least 5,500 Afghans were evacuated solely as a result of the breach, with 2,400 more still awaiting relocation.
The MoD also revealed that 665 Afghans have launched legal action over the breach, seeking at least £50,000 each in damages. Thousands more are expected to join once they become aware of their exposure.
Data Leak and Fallout
The original leak occurred when a British soldier inadvertently emailed a spreadsheet he believed contained just 150 Afghan applicants. In reality, hidden data fields exposed thousands more. The soldier’s identity remains undisclosed, and the MoD has not confirmed any disciplinary action.
One person familiar with the situation told the Financial Times that the database had been sold on the black market, and another recipient reportedly used it to pressure UK authorities to relocate himself and 14 relatives.
Despite the secrecy, 18,500 Afghans have been relocated to the UK to date — most under existing public schemes like the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. Both schemes were also closed earlier this month, ending formal Afghan relocation routes.
The disclosure comes at a politically sensitive time, with public finances under pressure and the anti-immigration Reform UK party leading in polls. Internal documents warned of potential “public disorder” in response to revelations about the covert plan — a concern heightened by far-right riots last summer.
Unanswered Questions
It remains unknown whether the Taliban obtained the database, and efforts to contain the leak have reportedly failed. The MoD continues to face legal, political, and humanitarian fallout.
The Financial Times played a pivotal role in bringing this unprecedented secret operation to light, raising serious questions about government accountability, the use of super-injunctions, and the UK’s treatment of its Afghan allies.
