MoD could face '£1billion' compensation bill after putting thousands of Afghans' lives at risk through breach

The leak of the so-called “kill list” put potentially thousands of Afghans at risk and forced the Government into resettling nationals to a greater extent than planned.

The Government spent two years using an unprecedented superinjunction to prevent the public from learning about the mishap, LBC reported this week.

An estimated £7billion has been spent on cleaning up after the mistake. However, legal sources have claimed many affected Afghans are ready to sue and could be entitled to "five-figure payouts".

"The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death,: Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law, which is representing nearly 900 Afghans, told the Sun.

"In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out.

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"Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected."

This could see the overall compensation bill pass £1billion.

An MoD spokesman said: "The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. 

"We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard."

While the events happened under the previous administration, Labour is now under pressure to guarantee that such an event does not happen again.

At PMQs on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said: "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."

In February 2022, an unnamed Royal Marine working in UK Special Forces HQ, in Regent's Park Barracks, sent a spreadsheet to trusted Afghan colleagues.

The sender had thought the list contained details of 150 individuals who had applied for asylum in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

The scheme is set up to offer sanctuary in the UK to Afghans who supported British military operations during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

However, the file contained the names, contact details, and, in some cases, family members of, not 150, but 18,714 Afghan asylum seekers. When family members are included, the number of people potentially put at risk rises to around 100,000.