Serious questions for Tories over Afghan data breach - PM

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PM: Tory ministers have "serious questions to answer" on Afghan scheme

Former Conservative ministers have "serious questions to answer" over a data breach which revealed the details of thousands of Afghans who had supported British forces, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The prime minister said the failings inherited by his government included a super-injunction which blocked reporting of the breach, and a "secret route" for those affected to come to the UK "that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds". Details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power were mistakenly leaked in February 2022 by a British official. The previous government learned of this in August 2023 when details were posted on Facebook.

Sir Ben Wallace, who was defence secretary at the time, said the Conservative government had applied for a four-month injunction after in became aware of the breach, which a judge converted to a super-injunction, meaning even the existence of the court order could not be reported. The super-injunction was lifted on Tuesday, following an independent review. Sir Ben has said he makes "no apology" for applying for the initial injunction, insisting this was "not a cover-up" but designed to protect Afghans who could be at risk.

Speaking at the start of Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir said: "There's always been support across this House for the United Kingdom fulfilling our obligations to Afghans who served alongside British forces. "We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy and yesterday, the defence secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds. "Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen."

A resettlement scheme for those affected by the breach, the Afghanistan Response Route, was set up in April 2024 and has seen 4,500 Afghans so far arrive in the UK. It has cost £400m, with a projected final cost of about £850m. A total of 6,900 people are expected to come to the UK under this scheme, which has now closed. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) believes 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, and 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan. The existence of the scheme was only made public after the super-injunction was lifted by the High Court. Explaining the decision, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the MoD's internal review found the Taliban "likely already possess the key information in the dataset" and confirmation of its existence was unlikely to "substantially" raise the risk faced by those impacted. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the House of Commons the super-injunction raised "significant constitutional issues". As MPs were unaware of the breach, it could not be raised in the Commons or examined by a parliamentary committee.

Getty Images Those affected by the breach had applied to come to the UK under a scheme for Afghans who worked with British forces

US ambassador calls on Israel to 'aggressively investigate' West Bank killing

"There must be accountability," he wrote in a post on X. "Saif was just 20 years old."

After an initially muted official US reaction to the killing, Huckabee - a longstanding supporter of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories - described it as a "criminal and terrorist act" on Tuesday.

Sayfollah Musallet, known as Saif - a 20-year-old dual US citizen from Florida - was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil on Friday evening, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says he has asked Israeli authorities to "aggressively investigate" the killing of a Palestinian-American in the occupied West Bank.

On Friday, the Israeli military said it was investigating, claiming that a "violent confrontation developed" after "terrorists" threw stones at Israeli civilians.

Saif Musallat lived in Tampa and was visiting relatives in Sinjil, north of Ramallah, when he was killed along with his friend, Mohammed al-Shalabi.

Al-Shalabi, who lived in a town nearby, died after being shot in the chest, the Palestinian health ministry said. He was 23 years old.

Musallat's family said their relative was "protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it".

Israeli settlers also blocked an ambulance attempting to reach Musallat, who died before he could make it to hospital, they added.

The family have called for the US state department to carry out an investigation.

Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and evangelical Christian, has previously voiced strong support for Israeli settlements - which are seen as illegal under international law.

Huckabee has also been criticised by opposition Democrats in the US over his previous statements about the ongoing war in Gaza.

He has backed the idea of a "greater Israel" - where Israel would have permanent control of the Occupied Palestinian Territories - and used the biblical term "Judea and Samaria" to refer to the West Bank.

Last month, he criticised US allies, including the UK and Australia, for sanctioning two far-right Israeli ministers over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the West Bank.

The Open tee-times 'tweaked' due to band parade in Portrush

Just now Share Save Mark Simpson & Maria McCann BBC News NI Share Save

Getty More than 70 bands and about 2,000 people are due to be involved in the event on Saturday evening, as The Open tournament finishes for the day nearby

The start of The Open Championship in Portrush on Saturday is being brought forward due to a band parade in the town. More than 70 bands and about 2,000 people are due to be involved in the event which has been organised by Portrush Sons of Ulster on Saturday evening, as the golf tournament finishes for the day nearby. The chief executive of the Royal & Ancient (R&A), Mark Darbon, said there would be "marginal adjustments" of about 15 minutes to the golf tee-times on Saturday to try to ensure both events could take place in a "seamless" way. Mr Darbon said, as organisers, they are "guests in the community".

More than 275,000 spectators are expected to descend on Portrush over the coming days, making it the largest sporting event held in Northern Ireland. The Open was first played at Portrush in 1951 and was last hosted in the town in 2019. Organisers say The Open generates more than 5,000 hours of global television coverage, with the competition beamed into 500 million homes. It is estimated that the 153rd Open will boost the Northern Ireland economy by more than £200m.

Chief executive of the R&A Mark Darbon spoke during a press conference on Wednesday

"We recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town, we are a guest in the community in which we operate," Mr Darbon said, at a press conference. "On many occasions, there are concurrent events that take place around the action that we are very focused on here, within the rules of the venue. "So, recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday, we have worked collaboratively with the organisers and across multi-agency groups to ensure, primarily, both events can run as seamlessly as possible. "We are making a slight tweak to tee times to try and finish - it's not dramatic, maybe 15 minutes or so earlier. "At the same time, this is an outdoor sport; the weather can play a big role. "It's very difficult to be precise on finishing times, but we are looking at some marginal adjustments."

Asked about reports that the organisers of the band parade had been offered £20,000 to postpone their event, Mr Darbon did not answer the question directly. He said the R&A had contributed "incremental costs" to the logistical operation involved on Saturday evening. The Open normally finishes after 19:00 GMT on a Saturday. No exact times are ever known due to weather and playing conditions on the day. The band parade is due to begin at about 20:30, according to the Parades Commission website. More than 77 bands are scheduled to take part and it is expected to finish at about 23:00 GMT.

Band urges public to plan ahead

In a post on social media on Wednesday, Portrush Sons Of Ulster said the band has made it clear from the start of meetings that "we were having our parade and that hasn't changed". "It has taken a serious amount of work for us to get where we are at today," they said in their post on Facebook. They urged people attending the event to plan ahead "due to the volume of golfers and parade goers" in the town on the same day. "As is well known, our parade already draws a massive crowd but this year we expect it will be even bigger due to the publicity it has received," they said. "We ask all spectators to spread themselves out throughout the town and not to be all gathering at the one point."

People have been camping on the grounds of Ulster University's Coleraine campus

Meanwhile, more than 4,800 people are staying at The Open's camping village throughout the week. Tents and glamping tee-pees have been set up on the grounds of Ulster University's Coleraine campus. There are people from more than 31 different countries are staying at the site, with almost 2,000 guests each night.

The Open Camping Village

Tom Crutchley, who manages the campsite, said the idea started in 2016 as a way of encouraging young people to attend the golf tournament. "The R&A said that one of the biggest barriers for youths and young families coming to The Open was the cost of accommodation so The Open Camping Village was created," he said. "We started with about 120 tents, which my team and I have put up ourselves, and we have now grown to 772 tents and we operate a bit like a hotel. "I think we are actually the second biggest 'hotel' on the entire island this week."

Ronan Cooper and his son, Alex, from Dublin, are enjoying their stay at the campsite