UK Reveals Secret £850 Million Afghan Plan Over Data Breach

The UK’s previous government set up a secret immigration route for Afghans affected by a data breach three years ago and then kept it secret from the British public, Defence Secretary John Healey said.

The then Conservative administration opened the plan after becoming aware 18 months later that a defense official had in February 2022 emailed a case file outside of government systems containing the personal information of 18,714 Afghans, Healey told the House of Commons on Tuesday. The data breach and the secret program were subject to a so-called court super-injunction gagging the press, which was lifted on Tuesday.