Overview

• The High Court lifted a near-two-year superinjunction in mid-July, ending secrecy over the leak of personal details for almost 19,000 Afghan relocation applicants and more than 100 British security personnel.
• Former ministers James Heappey and Grant Shapps publicly admitted failures in handling the breach and defended the gag order as a necessary measure to protect lives.
• Parliament’s Defence and Intelligence committees have launched inquiries into MoD record-keeping failures, ministerial accountability and the balance between national security and transparency.
• The covert Afghanistan Response Route, created in April 2024, continues to evacuate thousands of at-risk Afghans and is projected to cost around £850 million when complete.
• Affected Afghans report heightened fear and hardship as compensation payments begin and thousands remain in limbo under ongoing Taliban threats.