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    Keir Starmer suspends Labour rebels after repeated backbench revolts

    Sir Keir Starmer has suspended at least three Labour MPs as he seeks to reassert his authority after a series of damaging backbench rebellions. The Independent understands that rebel leader Rachael Maskell, along with Chris Hinchliffe, have been called in to see the chief whip over the recent revolt over welfare reforms and are expected to have the whip suspended. Two others, Brian Leishman and Neil Duncan-Jordan, confirmed they had been suspended. The MPs are thought to have lost the party whip over “persistent breaches of party discipline”. The move comes before politicians depart Westminster for the summer early next week and follows speculation some Labour MPs could have been in talks to join a new party being created by ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer (Isabel Infantes/PA) More

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    UK politics live: Suella Braverman apologises for Tory government ‘failures’ over Afghan data breach

    Starmer says Tories have ‘serious questions to answer’ over Afghan data breachFormer home secretary Suella Braverman has expressed her fury at the cover-up and “failures” of the previous Conservative government over the Afghan data breach.The dataset containing the personal information of almost 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was released in error in February 2022 by a defence official.It triggered an operation to bring 16,000 Afghans to the UK – and saw an injunction, later upgraded to a superinjunction, issued that banned the media reporting on the leak in a bid to prevent the Taliban finding out.But Ms Braverman has said she opposed the move but was then gagged by the super injunction, which meant she was unable to comment.“What has happened is outrageous and must never happen again,” she said. “We must therefore be very clear about what that was and how it happened.“The cover-up was wrong, the super injunction was wrong, and the failure to stop unwanted mass immigration has been unforgivable. “So, I am sorry: the Conservative government failed you, and its leaders let you down. It wasn’t good enough then. It’s not good enough now.”Your Views | Independent readers react to UK’s ‘shameful’ MoD data breachReactions from readers have been swift and damning, touching on moral responsibility, government secrecy, institutional incompetence, and the human cost of this breach. Many drew parallels with past scandals, while others demanded consequences and urgent reform.Here’s what The Independent’s readers had to say: Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 15:32Former home secretary Suella Braverman condemns her ex-colleagues for Afghan cover upFormer home secretary Suella Braverman has issued a statement expressing her fury at the cover up of the Afghan data breach and use of a secret route to bring 24,000 Afghans to the UK.Ms Braverman had been under attack from Reform UK because she was home secretary and responsible for immigration during part of the time of the debacle after thousands of names were accidentally leaked in an email from an official.But Ms Braverman has said she opposed the move but was then gagged by the super injunction which meant she was unable to comment.She said: “There is much more that needs to be said about the conduct of the MoD, both ministers and officials, and the House of Commons is the right place to do so. I hope we have the opportunity soon.“What has happened is outrageous and must never happen again. We must therefore be very clear about what that was and how it happened.“The cover-up was wrong, the super injunction was wrong, and the failure to stop unwanted mass immigration has been unforgivable. So, I am sorry: the Conservative government failed you and its leaders let you down. It wasn’t good enough then. It’s not good enough now.“This episode exposes everything wrong with the Westminster establishment. The State apparatus thinks it can hide its failures behind legal technicalities while ordinary people pay the price.“Those responsible must be held accountable, and the system that enabled this cover-up must be dismantled.”David Maddox16 July 2025 15:12Downing Street defends delay in lifting Afghanistan superinjunctionDowning Street defended the Labour Government’s decision to apply for the Afghanistan superinjunction to be extended prior to Tuesday, saying it was right that a full assessment took place before lifting the order.The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There was significant work that needed to be done.“We don’t take these decisions lightly. There are obviously serious issues and serious complexities in relation to this case.“It took time to assess the situation, getting on top of the intelligence assessments, the policy complexities and the court papers, and it was right to do the full and proper work to allow Paul Rimmer the time to complete his assessment.“But obviously, on the basis of Paul Rimmer’s assessment, the Government has supported the lifting of the superinjunction.”Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 14:54No 10 says there are questions for Tories – but decline to say what those questions areDowning Street insisted former Conservative ministers had questions to answer about the Afghan data breach, but declined to say what those questions were.Asked what questions former ministers should face, the Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “Clearly there have been serious failures here that have led to this major security breach impacting individuals’ data that wasn’t able to be scrutinised in the way the public would expect.“Now is the time when questions can be asked and answered. The Defence Secretary has set out that process.“And I would also point out that former Tory ministers have been out over the past 24 hours making clear the total incompetence at the top of government in handling this situation and the wider situation in Afghanistan.“Johnny Mercer said this morning, this was just the end of the line of the ineptitude of the Conservative government, it’s clear that they have questions to answer about how they handled this whole process.”Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 14:39Committee will launch inquiry into data leakThe Commons Defence Committee will launch an inquiry into the Afghan data leak.Committee chairman Tan Dhesi told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “I’m not sure whether a public inquiry will or will not happen, but one thing you can rest assured on is that the Defence Committee has decided that we will be launching an inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired here, given the serious ramifications on so many levels.“We haven’t set out the exact terms of reference, and we will be doing so straight after the recess as to who we will be calling up and how we want to get to the bottom of what has happened on behalf of Parliament, which, by the way, has been sidelined for too long on this issue, on behalf of the people.”He said it was a “huge concern” that the injunction was in place for more than two years.“I think the fact that there has been no parliamentary scrutiny, that nobody’s been held to account on this is just not on at all.”He said the committee would get into the “nooks and crannies” of what compensation has been given or is proposed to be given to Afghan nationals affected by the data breach.Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 14:23Badenoch declined a briefing where she would have been told about the Afghan data breachThe Tory leader Kemi Badenoch did not attend a briefing in March in which she would have been told about the Afghan data breach.The Conservatives sent the shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge instead.Ms Badenoch did not use any of her six questions to the prime minister at PMQs earlier to ask about the scandal, which began under the last Tory government.The breach, an email blunder, triggered the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who were brought to the UK under a secret resettlement scheme.Tory sources claimed the March briefing was not flagged as important through the usual channels, meaning the party sent Mr Cartlidge in her place. Kate Devlin16 July 2025 14:12Starmer was ‘angry’ when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 saysKeir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.Sir Keir Starmer’s press secretary said: “The prime minister is angry at such a terrible breach that had such grave consequences being allowed to happen.”Which is why it’s clear that there are questions that need to be answered by Conservative ministers who, in their own words, have talked about the ineptitude of the Conservative government at the time.”Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 14:10Ben Wallace takes ‘complete responsibility’ for Afghan leak — but refuses to apologise for superinjunctionMy colleague Archie Mitchell reports: Jabed Ahmed16 July 2025 13:59Watch | Healey: ‘No justification’ for most names in Afghan data leak to claim asylum in BritainHealey: ‘No justification’ for most names in Afghan data leak to claim asylum in BritainJabed Ahmed16 July 2025 13:43Keir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.Keir Starmer was “angry” when he found out about the Afghan data leak, No 10 has said.Sir Keir Starmer’s press secretary said: “The Prime Minister is angry at such a terrible breach that had such grave consequences being allowed to happen.”Which is why it’s clear that there are questions that need to be answered by Conservative ministers who, in their own words, have talked about the ineptitude of the Conservative government at the time.”Kate Devlin16 July 2025 13:34 More

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    Stella Creasy thanks passengers for intervening as she was ‘hassled’ by man on London Underground

    A Labour MP has thanked London Underground passengers for rushing to her defence as she was hassled by a man. Stella Creasy was on the Victoria Line when she began to be harassed by the male passenger in an incident she is planning to report to the police.In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Walthamstow MP said: “If you were one of the passengers on the victoria line just now who intervened to stop a man hassling me thank you from the bottom of my heart. “Please get in touch with my office if you are prepared to be a witness as maybe the police might listen to you about him now!” Stella Creasy has repeatedly faced abuse More

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    Rachel Reeves inadvertently breached rules on declaring freebies, watchdog finds

    Rachel Reeves inadvertently breached parliament’s rules by failing to declare gifts on time, the standards watchdog has found. The chancellor was probed by the standards commissioner over free theatre tickets, which she failed to add to her register of interests within 28 days. She blamed “an oversight” for her initial failure to declare the gifts, which included tickets to an adaptation of the classic children’s novel Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre over Christmas. The chancellor inadvertently breached parliament’s rules More

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    Voices: ‘We failed those who protected us’: Independent readers react to UK’s ‘shameful’ MoD data breach

    A catastrophic Ministry of Defence data breach that exposed the details of thousands of Afghans seeking refuge in the UK was kept secret for nearly two years under an unprecedented superinjunction, The Independent has revealed.The leak, which occurred in February 2022, compromised sensitive information about applicants to the MoD’s Arap resettlement scheme – a programme for Afghans who had supported British forces and now feared Taliban reprisals. Officials launched a top-secret response, codenamed Operation Rubific, resulting in the covert evacuation of more than 16,000 people to the UK. The government was prepared to relocate up to 42,000 in total at a projected cost of £7bn.The extraordinary cover-up meant MPs, the public and even many within Whitehall were kept in the dark. A court battle led by The Independent and other media finally overturned the superinjunction this week, raising serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the treatment of those who risked their lives for Britain.Reactions from readers have been swift and damning, touching on moral responsibility, government secrecy, institutional incompetence, and the human cost of this breach. Many drew parallels with past scandals, while others demanded consequences and urgent reform.Here’s what you had to say:Britain has a moral responsibilityIt is an expensive programme, that is true, but the problem is a very big one. The whole thing was bungled from the start – remember Dominic Raab staying on his holiday in Crete while Kabul was being evacuated? And the nature of the leak is just incredible.The billions this costs, spread out over several years, are desperately needed elsewhere, but as with the Gurkhas, Britain has a moral responsibility.RegCostelloThis story has shocked many – what’s your reaction? Add your voice in the comments.(i) ‘Prioritisation of Ukrainian nationals’ and (ii) ‘drastically increased work-from-home arrangements for civil servants’ were the main reasons given for the months-long consular waits for visas and passport processing in 2022 and 2023. I wonder whether this massive evacuation from Afghanistan contributed to that strain, or whether it was all managed by a separate–and–covert department. Either way, covert or not, every resource has its limit, doesn’t it?Ever more freely and transparently may truths emerge!IndySpannerPhonesMany are still in dangerHopefully the Labour government will quickly step up the process of getting all to safety. It’s been over a year, but many are still in danger.The government needs to ensure that 10 per cent of evacuees do not end up homeless, as they suggested could be the case in October 2024.PropagandaoftheDeedA national shameThe way we treated these people who helped us at great risk is a national shame.Albert GinwallahCorruption or shambles?Hmmm… so Britain’s security is more at risk from the government and MoD! Well, I for one am not surprised at all. And that goes for the cover-up and lies from successive governments! Look at the Post Office and Horizon, the blood contamination saga. Is it corruption or a shambles?Red DragonHas the person been sacked?My first question is: has the person who sent the email been sacked and prosecuted for breaching confidentiality as well as costing the country some £400m?If not, why not?TomHawkSpare a thought for Afghan womenThis was a chaotic Tory mess-up, as is traditional. Against the scale of the issue, this ethical UK response is tiny. Spare a thought for the 450k Afghan refugee women forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan since Jan 2025, who are instantly criminalised for travelling alone back to a medieval regime where women and girls have a value less than livestock.HerbaciousScandal after scandalIs there anything the UK government can run?Scandal after scandal after scandal. Billions upon billions p***** up the wall. A little bridge in a London park, £36 million?ChicheeLet’s have an expensive public inquiryWow – a government cover-up. That’s a surprise. Let’s have an expensive public inquiry at the cost to us taxpayers that will last the next five years, with the familiar outcome stating lessons will be learnt…Once that’s out of the way, we can then promote the ‘guilty’ individuals to the House of Lords.theSpycatcherA get-out clauseA “superinjunction” is basically the get-out clause for despotic governments (or in the case of Britain, the rancid ruling class).stoniaKeeping the public in the darkHow ironic that the British establishment invests huge efforts in keeping the public in the dark about so many things of public interest – and yet is incapable of protecting sensitive data when lives actually depend on it.DanilovData like this should never leave a secure government server. What on earth is it doing being emailed to random people and posted on Facebook? And how do you “inadvertently share” a file?sj99Incompetence should have consequencesIncompetence on such a massive scale should have consequences; otherwise, it sends the wrong message. It says: don’t worry about being diligent, do what you like, it doesn’t matter.Sean As if the data breach itself wasn’t appalling enough, the fact that this individual is still employed in another department at the MoD is absolutely shameful.Cyclone8Only in the UK public sector…Where else but the UK public sector can someone do something that puts people’s lives at risk and costs £400m to sort out, yet keep your job and your pension?If there is any better illustration of how we are let down by our public sector, I can’t think of it.These days, our public sector is the refuge of those who should not be let loose with a broom, let alone handle sensitive matters.TomHawkWe are failing to protect those we put at riskBloody shambles. We should have offered sanctuary to those who were at risk just because of who their former employer was – the MoD. While the news and politics are all about ‘illegal immigrants, ’ we are failing to protect those we put at risk. Shameful.SnaughterSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

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    Not our finest hour: When Britain’s allies put their lives on the line, we abandoned them – and covered it up

    Perfidious Albion, in modern terms, means that when it comes to international affairs, Britain is seen as treacherous and unreliable – and has turned mendacity into an art.Students of imperial history will recall the hundreds of treaties signed with local chiefs, kings and leaders that were waved aside in the interests of the empire. The French call their deep distrust of Les Anglo-Saxons “Fashoda syndrome” – named after a sordid episode of British duplicity that delivered an obscure bit of southern Sudan to the UK in the 19th century, and triggered the enduring distrust of our closest neighbour up to this day.Now we have the Kabul cock-up. It will inevitably serve to undermine Britain’s woeful and feeble international reputation – and drive some of those who have been betrayed into the arms of our enemies.Afghan special forces soldiers are waiting on help from the UK More

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    How much tax do Britain’s billionaires pay? HMRC has no idea, damning report finds

    The taxman has no idea how much is being collected from billionaires amid mounting calls for a wealth tax, a powerful Commons committee has found. With Rachel Reeves seeking billions of pounds to plug a gaping hole in the public finances, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot identify how much tax is paid by Britain’s billionaires. Despite there being relatively few billionaires, and the group contributing a significant amount to the government’s coffers, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said HMRC “does not know how many billionaires pay tax in the UK or how much they contribute overall”. The authority “can and must” do more to understand how much tax the very wealthiest are paying, it added.Rachel Reeves needs to find billions of pounds in her autumn Budget More

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    Rachel Reeves vows to take ‘the boot of regulation off the throat of businesses’ in red tape bonfire

    Rachel Reeves vowed to “take the boot of regulation off the throat of businesses” as she unveiled a bonfire of red tape to boost the economy in her keynote Mansion House speech.The beleaguered chancellor has bet her future and her hopes of achieving elusive economic growth on a massive round of City deregulation.It comes as Treasury sources say Ms Reeves wants to see more “risk taking” and move back to the pre-2008 model for financial services, before the banking collapse.In his speech at the same event, however, the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey stressed he could not “underestimate the challenges” involved in the global trade war triggered by US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, saying the current shift in policy was the “most sudden and fundamental in the post-war era”.In a stark warning, he added: “Increasing tariffs creates the risk of fragmenting the world economy, and thereby reducing activity.” Ms Reeves’s speech came just hours after she had also announced the new “Leeds reforms” to the mortgage market in a bid to open up the opportunity of buying a house to more than 30,000 first-time buyers.Rachel Reeves has set out a package of financial services reforms she hopes will deliver a boost to the economy More