Government put £7bn aside to offer Afghans asylum after leak

Tuesday 15 July 2025 12:55 pm

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The UK government set up a secret £7bn scheme to relocate some 25,000 Afghans and their families after an unprecedented data breach put them at risk of persecution from the Taliban.

The leak of the identities of thousands of Afghans, including those applying for asylum, came in early 2022 when a soldier inadvertently sent a list of names to Afgnan contacts.

It became known to the government after threats were made the full database could be posted on a Facebook group, leading to a wide government operation to prevent the details becoming public.

The government set aside more than £6bn to offer Afghans involved in the breach asylum, putting huge pressure on government spending.

The details of the leak were only revealed after a superinjunction, which prevented anyone revealing the existence of an injunction against sensitive information being unveiled, was lifted on Tuesday following a campaign by The Times and other publications. The existence of the list could still pose risks to Afghans, the government has argued.

Defence secretary John Healey has carried out a review of the Taliban’s risk to the individuals on the list, which said the threat had been partly reduced and the superinjunction risked pushing up the value of the dataset to the group.

The government sought to cover up details of the leak, prompting criticism from activists and a potential lawsuit against the government that could cost £250m, according to The Times.

New risk to government after Afghan data breach

As of 30 June 2024, around 29,000 people received settlement in the UK under the two main schemes for resettling Afghans.

Earlier this month, the government abruptly closed the schemes, leaving thousands in the dark over settlement.

The full revelations of the leak – and associated costs – come at a time when public finances are under considerable strain following U-turns on welfare reforms.

City analysts have predicted that the government will have to raise as much as £24bn in taxes later this year to plug gaps.

The government will also face questions on whether the scheme would undermine plans to reduce net migration and fix the asylum system.

Small boat crossings are considerably higher at this point in the year compared to 2024 despite closer coordination with France.

Afghanistan is the main nationality of around 15 per cent of all individuals involved in small boat crossings since 2018.