AFGHANISTAN SUPER INJUNCTION

The scandal about the secret people smuggling of a large number of Afghans into the UK by the government only gets worse. We now are told that the original leak of data of Afghans, who were claiming to have helped the British in Afghanistan, further included details of members of the UK security services (including MI6) and special forces (including the SAS and SBS). All of this data was on one leaked spreadsheet sent by the MoD to an Afghan in Afghanistan. That Afghan was annoyed at not being allowed into the UK; so annoyed that he posted about the spreadsheet’s existence on Facebook; he was then allowed into the UK – presumably with family members.

This alleged accident was covered up by a judge granting a super injunction, suppressing not only the leak, the subsequent people smuggling, and the substantial costs, but also that the injunction itself had been granted. The press were silenced. Not even parliament was told, including the security committees.

The Minister of Defence at the time, Ben Wallace (who did not seek re-election and is no longer an MP), is unrepentant, and his successor, Grant Shapps, who lost his seat at the last election, is keeping quiet.

No one, not even the leaker, has either been sacked nor resigned. The leaker was simply moved to a different position. His identity is unknown to the public. One assumes that he is not called Major Philby or Captain bin Laden.

Now, the then Armed Forces Minister, James Heappey, who has been accused of being the prime mover in the cover up and the people smuggling of Afghans, has spoken out on X, saying:

‘It was gut-wrenching to find out that someone in the Ministry of Defence had screwed up so awfully although I came to find subsequently they were incredibly dedicated to those we served with in Afghanistan. Few had done more to get people who served alongside our Special Forces out of Afghanistan. It is incredibly unfair that someone who’d done so much good and changed so many lives deservedly for the better, should be responsible. But the worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented to applicants whose details had been compromised. The intelligence assessment was clear: if the Taliban got their hands on the list, violent and even lethal reprisal was likely. The Ministry of Defence was magnificent in response to it all. But on this breach, we let the country down badly.’

It should be noted that Heappey expressed no regret about the people smuggling.

Heappey extols the leaker’s ‘incredibly dedicated’ commitment and his keenness to get the Afghans out of Afghanistan, but, we are to assume, Heappey is too stupid to recognise the obvious implications. Neither he nor the judge nor anyone else, it would seem, considered that the leaker might be so dedicated that he deliberately compiled and leaked the spreadsheet to blackmail the government.

Of importance is that the leaker was operating in a fevered environment of the military continuously complaining that not enough Afghans had been brought to the UK. The TV screens are littered with MPs, who are former soldiers who served in Afghanistan, demanding that ever more Afghans should be brought in.

Heappey claims that ‘the worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented’ to the Afghans. Wrong. ‘Of course’ no such thing. The worst part is the danger posed to the UK and to its people by letting in so many from a totally alien culture, of whom, many will pose a danger to our women and children. It is the impact on social cohesion and the costs that are the worst part. Such matters, it would seem, do not occur to Heappey.

Heappey might describe the MoD’s response to be ‘magnificent’. Such an assertion might impress the MoD and the judges but is not shared by many normal people. Furthermore, Heappey’s actions, opinions, and explanation have put his own bona fides on the line. Is it really possible for anyone to be so arrogant, pompous and stupid?