Britain’s Labour government has refused to release details of its vetting process for Afghan asylum seekers, despite pressure in the House of Lords following a major Ministry of Defence data leak.
The original purpose of the scheme was to offer protection to Afghan interpreters who had worked with British forces, regardless of their personal motives. However, around 20,000 people—including veterans, relatives, and opportunists—applied. Their personal data was mistakenly emailed out and remained exposed online for months. As a result, many are now considered at risk from Taliban retribution after the group regained control of Afghanistan.
Under tight secrecy—including an unprecedented Whitehall superinjunction—the government began flying Afghans to the UK and resettling them quietly. However, the notably high rate of violent and sexual offences committed by Afghans in Britain, even when age is taken into account, raises serious questions about whether proper vetting procedures were followed.
Now life peer Lord Kempsell has submitted a written parliamentary question to the MoD. He asked whether it
will publish any documents about vetting or security clearance processes that were given to applicants of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy [ARAP, eds.]
Defence minister Lord Coaker gave a lengthy, word-salad reply which culminated in this promise
National security is a priority for this Government and all ARAP eligible individuals who arrive in the UK will have undergone thorough security checks.
Afghans deemed ‘eligible’ must apply to the MoD first, then to the Home Office, for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. However, none of the vetting documents from this process are currently available for public inspection.
A major issue is that an unknown number of Afghans entered the UK without any vetting at all—simply because their names were included in the compromised spreadsheet.
