Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said he makes “no apology” for seeking to block reporting on a secret government operation to evacuate thousands of Afghans to the UK, following a devastating Ministry of Defence (MoD) data breach.
Speaking publicly for the first time since a two-year gag order was lifted, Sir Ben confirmed that he ordered officials to apply for an injunction in August 2023 after the UK military lost a sensitive database containing personal details of Afghans who had applied for sanctuary.
The breach, described in court as putting up to 100,000 lives at risk, triggered a covert evacuation mission, codenamed Operation Rubicic, involving unmarked flights and the relocation of thousands of Afghans to Britain at a reported cost of up to £7 billion.
“My first priority was to protect all those that might be at risk,” Wallace said. “I make no apology for applying to the court for an injunction at the time. It was not a cover-up.”
The initial injunction was intended to last four months, according to Wallace. However, it was later upgraded to a super-injunction, a rare legal measure that not only prevents reporting on a matter, but also prohibits acknowledging the injunction’s existence.
Wallace stated he was no longer in office when the change occurred and was unaware of the decision to escalate the order.
Secret Evacuation Operation Uncovered
The Daily Mail, the first outlet to uncover the breach in 2023, was subsequently prevented from publishing its findings. Over the following 23 months, under the cloak of legal silence, the Government orchestrated one of the largest peacetime evacuation missions in modern history.
To date, around 18,500 Afghans whose data was exposed have been flown to the UK or are en route. A total of 23,900 individuals were marked for relocation under the classified scheme.
These evacuees have been housed in MoD accommodation or hotels while permanent housing is sought. However, more than 70,000 others affected by the data breach will remain in Afghanistan after the scheme was formally closed this week.
The Ministry has also confirmed that one in ten arrivals is expected to enter the homelessness system, with housing pressures mounting across the UK.
Meanwhile, 20% of MoD housing stock has been allocated to Afghan refugees, and some resettlement areas were identified by officials as “hotspots” during last year’s riots, raising concerns about localised unrest.
Legal Fallout and Political Tensions
Hundreds of Afghans evacuated under the scheme are now preparing to take legal action against the UK Government over the data breach itself. Manchester-based law firm Barings Law, representing over 1,000 clients, estimates compensation claims could total £1 billion.
“Since the super-injunction was lifted, we have heard conflicting information from the UK Government,” said Adnan Malik from Barings. “We urge the Ministry of Defence to be clear and transparent about the extent of this fiasco.”
The project’s cost has also become a point of contention. During secret High Court hearings, it was repeatedly stated that the scheme would cost £7 billion over five years. However, Defence Secretary John Healey yesterday told Parliament the actual cost would be between £400 million and £850 million and claimed only 6,900 people were being relocated due to the breach.
An MoD spokesperson said the lower number refers specifically to those affected solely by the leak, while others may have been eligible through alternative relocation schemes.
Healey defended the Government’s delay in lifting the gag order, stating the Labour administration “had to get on top of the risks” after entering office a year ago.
“We took decisions no one takes lightly because lives may be at stake,” he told MPs. “We commissioned an independent review which found it is now highly unlikely that being named in the lost dataset increases the risk of being targeted.”
Judge Questions Secrecy and Spending
The judge who oversaw the injunction, Mr Justice Chamberlain, expressed concern about the level of secrecy and the enormous costs involved.
“I’m starting to doubt myself… am I going bonkers?” he remarked during a hearing, questioning whether the MoD was simply running a resettlement programme for migrants under legal cover.
Despite the lifting of the super-injunction, a second order remains in place preventing the publication of specific details from the original leaked database.
In Parliament, Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, chair of the Defence Committee, said he was “minded to recommend” an investigation into the handling of the breach, calling the situation “a mess and wholly unacceptable.”
Wallace Stands Firm
In a piece for The Telegraph, Sir Ben Wallace reiterated his stance.
“I took the view that if this leak was reported at the time, the existence of the list would put in peril those we needed to help out. Some may disagree, but I stand by the decision.”
With the operation now public, and political scrutiny intensifying, the Government faces mounting pressure to clarify how such a critical data breach occurred, and whether the scale of secrecy was justified.
