Spies Among More Than 100 Britons Included In Leaked Afghan Dataset

LONDON, July 18 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- The details of more than 100 Britons, comprising spies and special forces, were found in data that was leaked mistakenly and resulted in thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the United Kingdom, reported PA Media/dpa.

Defence sources said details of MI6 spies, Special Air Service forces and special forces personnel were included in the spreadsheet, following the endorsement of the list of Afghans that were to be brought to the UK.

The dataset, containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), was released "in error" in February 2022 by a defence official.

The Ministry of Defence became aware of the breach more than a year later, when excerpts of the spreadsheet were anonymously posted in a Facebook group in August 2023.

Other details leaked included the names and contact details of the Arap applicants and the names of their family members.

In a statement on Tuesday, after an unprecedented superinjunction was lifted by a High Court judge, Defence Secretary John Healey offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the British government for the data breach.

He later told the House of Commons the spreadsheet contained "names and contact details of applicants and, in some instances, information relating to applicants' family members, and in a small number of cases, the names of members of parliament, senior military officers and government officials were noted as supporting the application."

"This was a serious departmental error," he added.

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge also apologised on behalf of the former Conservative government, which was in power when the leak happened and when it was discovered more than a year later.

ARAP was responsible for relocating Afghan nationals who had worked for or with the UK government and were therefore at risk of reprisals once the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Between 80,000 and 100,000 people, including the estimated number of family members of the Arap applicants, were affected by the breach and could be at risk of harassment, torture or death if the Taliban obtained their data, judges said in June 2024.

However, an independent review, commissioned by the government in January 2025, concluded last month that the dataset is "unlikely to significantly shift Taliban understanding of individuals who may be of interest to them."

The breach resulted in the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route – by the previous government in April 2024.

Around 4,500 people, made up of 900 ARAP applicants and approximately 3,600 family members, have been brought to the UK or are in transit so far through the Afghanistan Response Route.

A further estimated 600 people and their relatives are expected to be relocated before the scheme closes, with a total of around 6,900 people expected to be relocated by the end of the scheme.

--BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa