Grant Shapps says his focus was on saving lives after Afghan data breach

Former defence secretary Grant Shapps has defended the decision to keep secret a data breach involving the details of thousands of Afghans and some British officials.

In his first interview since it became public, Shapps told the BBC an injunction blocking reporting of the breach was “quite rightly” applied for by his predecessor and he believed at the time it should stay in place.

Many people were judged to be at risk of serious harm or even death as the Taliban sought retribution against those who had worked with the British government during the conflict.

Shapps said if there was any doubt, erring on the side of caution was “entirely justified”, adding his focus was on “saving lives”.

The data of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had worked with the British during the 20-year war in Afghanistan and had applied to resettle in the UK were inadvertently leaked in February 2022.

The details of over 100 Britons were also released, including spies and special forces.

The latest fallout from the breach was kept secret by the injunction until 17 July, when the order was lifted by a high court judge.

A “super-injunction” – a kind of gagging order that prevents the reporting of even the existence of the injunction – had also been in place.