PM says former Tory ministers have 'serious questions to answer' over Afghan data breach

Sir Keir Starmer has said erstwhile Tory ministers person "serious questions to answer" astir however the names of Afghans who worked with UK forces were exposed.

Nearly 7,000 Afghan nationals are being relocated to the UK aft their names were accidentally sent successful an email successful February 2022, erstwhile Boris Johnson was premier minister, but the leak was lone discovered by the British subject successful August 2023, erstwhile Rishi Sunak was PM.

A super-injunction, preventing the reporting of the mistake, was imposed that twelvemonth successful an effort to forestall the Taliban from uncovering retired astir the leak.

The Conservative authorities astatine the clip past started transporting thousands of Afghans to the UK successful concealed arsenic they were successful danger.

On Tuesday, the injunction was lifted.

Politics latest: Starmer hammered implicit unexpected ostentation rise

Kicking disconnected Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: "Ministers who served nether the enactment other person superior questions to reply astir however this was ever allowed to happen.

"The seat of the defence committee has indicated that helium intends to clasp further inquiries.

"I invited that and anticipation that those who are successful bureau astatine the clip volition invited that scrutiny."

The information breach saw a defence authoritative accidentally merchandise details of astir 19,000 radical seeking to fly Afghanistan aft the instrumentality of the Taliban.

Conservative person Kemi Badenoch avoided mentioning the information breach, but Lib Dem person Sir Ed Davey said it was "shocking" however it had been kept concealed for 3 years.

Sir Ed said the premier curate volition person the Lib Dems' enactment if helium decides to prosecute a nationalist inquiry.

Mr Healey's Tory predecessor, Sir Ben Wallace, said helium makes "no apology" for applying for the archetypal four-month injunction and insisted it was "not a cover-up".

The scheme, which had been kept nether wraps until yesterday, has truthful acold outgo hundreds of millions of pounds.

However, the full outgo to the payer of existing schemes to assistance Afghans who are deemed eligible for British support, arsenic good arsenic the further outgo from the breach, volition travel to astatine slightest £6bn.

Earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News helium is "deeply uncomfortable" with the authorities utilizing a super-injunction to support the monolithic information breach hidden.

He said: "I'm truly profoundly uncomfortable with the thought that a authorities applies for a super-injunction.

"If determination are immoderate [other] super-injunctions successful place, I conscionable person to archer you - I don't cognize astir them. I haven't been work into them.

"The important happening present present is that we've closed the scheme."

Mr Healey was informed of the breach portion successful opposition, and earlier this twelvemonth helium commissioned a reappraisal that led to the injunction being lifted.

He said "accountability starts now" and added Labour had to woody with the risks, tribunal papers, quality assessments and antithetic schemes erstwhile they came to powerfulness past summertime earlier they could assistance the injunction.