A former defence minister has claimed he was misled over the rights of hundreds of Afghan special forces soldiers to be brought to safety in the UK, as revealed by The Independent.
Former Tory armed forces minister James Heappey, who oversaw the cover-up of a major data breach which put the lives of up to 100,000 Afghans at risk and cost the UK £7bn, has apologised and admitted “we let the country down”.
But addressing the fate of Afghan special forces known as “the Triples”, who were abandoned by the UK in the country despite being targeted by the Taliban because of their role training and fighting side by side with British forces, Mr Heappey has suggested that he was misled over their eligibility to be brought to safety.
He said: “An aside on Triples. I pushed and pushed within the MoD for clarification in response to what was said in press, parliament and by campaigners. Again and again, I said in public what very senior officials and military had briefed me. It is hugely frustrating that proved to be wrong.”
The Independent spearheaded a campaign urging the government to grant members of the Triples sanctuary in Britain after many were left stranded and in danger, following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.
Now, it has emerged that around half of the commandos initially identified for relocation to the UK were affected by the breach, which became the subject of a draconian superinjunction amid fears the dataset could fall into the hands of the Taliban.
Mr Heappey conceded: “The debate over the Triples (a group of around 1,500 Afghan special forces who’d worked alongside UK military)… by early 2024, it was clear MOD decision making on these troops was flawed & would need review with an expectation many would now be deemed eligible.”
Meanwhile, Mr Heappey has broken cover on his involvement in the cover-up of the major data breach in February 2022 when an official sent an email containing a document with the details of 33,000 records, and the details of more than 18,000 Afghans who had applied to be brought to safety in the UK.
In response, the government set up a secret route for 24,000 Afghans to be brought to the UK and obtained an unprecedented super injunction to prevent reporting or even discussion of what had happened.
Mr Heappey said the data breach revelation was “gut-wrenching” and apologised for his part in the scandal.
He said: “I’d like to add my sincere apology to those of other current & former defence ministers for the data breach which compromised details of so many applicants to the ARAP scheme.”
He described his frustration at “struggling” to resettle legal Afghan claims because the system was being overwhelmed by illegal arrivals.
Mr Heappey said: “It was gut-wrenching to find out that someone in MoD had screwed up so awfully, although I also came to find out subsequently that they were incredibly dedicated to those we served with in Afghanistan.
“Few had done more to get people who served alongside our special forces out of Afghanistan. It is incredibly unfair that someone who’d done so much good and changed so many lives deservedly for the better, should also be responsible for [the operation codenamed] RUBIFIC.
“But worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented to ARAP applicants whose details had been compromised.
“The intelligence assessment was clear: if the Taliban got their hands on the list, violent and even lethal reprisal was likely.”
He made it clear that the decision to cover the scandal up in the courts with a super injunction was not his decision, in effect pointing the finger at defence secretaries Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace and former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Similar points have been made by former home secretary Suella Braverman who noted that her opposition to what was being decided was closed down once the super injunction came into place.
Mr Heappey said: “Others made decision over injunction but for what it’s worth, I agree that it was needed. Whether it needed to be extended is moot – arguments are finely balanced. I’d left Govt by time of the Court of Appeal extension. And, of course, it was extended after election too.
“The anger across Govt at the MOD over the breach was palpable and justified. There were some pretty choice words offered in meetings. But the suggestion I was driving a new entitlement for those not eligible for ARAP or ACRS but affected by the breach is untrue.”
Sir Ben, who was defence secretary at the time the initial legal order was sought, has said he takes full responsibility for the leak. Mr Shapps has so far stayed silent on the issue.
