Secret gagging order should not have been used to cover up Afghan data breach, Sir Ben Wallace says
Afghan data breach superinjunction ‘shouldn’t have been used’ says Sir Ben Wallace
- Sir Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, told MPs he would not have backed a superinjunction to conceal the catastrophic Afghan data breach.
- The breach, which was discovered in August 2023, potentially put thousands of Afghans who aided UK forces at risk from the Taliban.
- Sir Ben stated he had initially directed a time-limited injunction to protect individuals while the Ministry of Defence investigated, not a full cover-up.
- The superinjunction, which prevented any mention of its existence, was imposed by the High Court after Sir Ben left government and was only lifted in July following a legal challenge by media organisations.
- He criticised the MoD for failing to follow established procedures, leading to the breach, and for keeping the public uninformed about national threats.