Ministers reportedly fear that riots will break out in the UK after it was revealed that a secret resettlement scheme for Afghans was kept secret from the public. The identities of 25,000 individuals from Afghanistan, including soldiers who had worked with the UK’s Armed Forces and their families, were accidentally leaked following a mistake by the British military in February 2022, it was revealed after a superinjunction obtained by the previous Conservative government that blocked the media from reporting the scheme was lifted today.
The error meant that, under the Afghanistan Response Route scheme, the Government moved to evacuate more than 4,500 Afghan soldiers, as well as their relatives and relocate them to Britain. They were housed in military accommodation and hotels across the country, with the scheme costing £850million overall. Around 4,500 people, comprised of 900 Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (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 expected to be relocated by that time.
When the reporting restriction was lifted, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has warned that it would need to “work with colleagues across Government… to mitigate any risk of public disorder following the discharge of the injunction”.
This is according to a Whitehall briefing note seen by The Telegraph circulated on July 4.
The newspaper added that all ministerial departments have been told that the public could lash out after learning about the plan.
Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the superinjunction had left him feeling “deeply uncomfortable to be constrained from reporting to this House” about the breach and the secret relocation scheme set up in its wake.
It is understood that the Afghan resettlement schemes are closing, with a review suggesting that the Afghanistan Response Route may be “disproportionate” to the impact of the Taliban obtaining the information.
Mr Healey said the closure of the schemes was expected to reduce their overall cost by £1.2billion, with 9,500 fewer Afghans coming to the UK.
