James Heappey said claims he had backed a ‘new entitlement’ for people affected by the breach but not eligible for other schemes were ‘untrue’.

Ex-minister claims he was misled over fate of Afghan elite soldiers abandoned by UK and exposed in data breach - Former armed forces minister James Heappey has broken cover over what happened regarding the massive data breach which put the lives of 100,

Ali, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, had long suspected his details had been shared with the Taliban - but found out just yesterday that he was a victim of the breach three years ago.

Afghan interpreters worked shoulder-to-shoulder with British troops in Afghanistan, with calls for a public inquiry into the data breach and superinjunction.

Sensitive details exposed by the huge Afghan data breach that put tens of thousands of people at risk were revealed by the defence secretary – but the media are still banned from reporting them.John Healey offered a “sincere apology” on behalf of the British Government for a massive leak which shared information about Afghans seeking to escape to the UK because of their links to British troops and could only be reported after a two-year fight to lift an unprecedented superinjunction.

Defence Minister John Healey told parliament a UK official had accidentally leaked a spreadsheet containing the names and details of almost 19,000 Afghans who had asked to be relocated to Britain. It happened in February 2022, just six months after Taliban fighters seized Kabul, he said.

Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he makes "no apology" for stopping the reporting of a leak that revealed data about thousands Afghans who had supported British forces. Writing in the Telegraph, Sir Ben said the decision to apply for an injunction was "not a cover-up".