The United Kingdom has developed a secret plan to resettle thousands of Afghans after a data leak that could have put them at risk from the Taliban, according to court documents released on Tuesday.
Data leak and resettlement
After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, thousands of Afghans were at risk of persecution due to a leak of confidential information. In response, the former Conservative government launched a costly resettlement programme worth around £2 billion.
Defence Secretary John Healey apologised for the leak, which affected not only Afghans but also British MPs and officers who supported the evacuation of Afghans who had worked with British troops.
“This serious incident should not have happened,” Healey told The House of Commons. He noted that around 4,500 victims are already in the UK or on their way, at a cost of £400 million to the budget. However, he stressed that the leak would not be grounds for granting asylum to other individuals from Afghanistan.
Political context and court
Information about the incident emerged amid economic difficulties in the country and the rise in popularity of right-wing parties opposed to immigration. Since British troops entered Afghanistan in 2001, London has been actively involved in military operations in the region until 2014.
The authorities also faced the threat of lawsuits from victims, which could further increase costs.
Lifting of the court ban and new data
According to a review commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, by May 2025, more than 16,000 people affected by the leak had been resettled in the UK. This data became available after the lifting of a court injunction imposed in 2023 to protect victims from possible violence by the Taliban.
The court found that the database contained information on nearly 33,000 applicants and their families. The leak occurred by mistake in early 2022 but was only discovered in August 2023, after some of the data was published on Facebook.
The new Labour government led by Keir Starmer reviewed the situation and concluded that although Afghanistan remains unstable, there is no evidence of a widespread campaign of reprisals by the Taliban.
