The UK government is unable to accurately determine the cost of its response to a major data breach involving Afghan nationals, with the National Audit Office raising doubts over an estimated £850m expenditure due to insufficient evidence.
In 2022, the Ministry of Defence accidentally leaked a spreadsheet containing sensitive details of approximately 19,000 Afghans who had collaborated with British forces during the Afghanistan war. The data included names, contact information, and family details, exposing individuals to potential retaliation from the Taliban and compromising their safety.
In response to the breach, the MoD secretly established the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) in April 2024, a relocation scheme designed to resettle those at risk. To conceal the incident, the government obtained a superinjunction from the High Court, which prevented any reporting on the data leak or the injunction itself for nearly two years until it was lifted in July 2025.
The National Audit Office’s recent report reveals that the MoD failed to separately track costs associated with the ARR scheme in its accounting systems. This lack of detailed record-keeping means that expenditures were bundled with broader Afghan resettlement activities, making it impossible to verify the accuracy of the provided estimates.
According to MoD projections, the ARR scheme is expected to resettle over 7,300 Afghans, including family members, at an estimated cost of £850m. However, this figure does not encompass potential legal expenses or compensation claims, which could substantially increase the total financial burden on the government.
The NAO has expressed skepticism about the completeness and reliability of the £850m estimate, noting that the MoD has not supplied adequate evidence to support its calculations. The watchdog highlighted that per-individual resettlement costs are roughly estimated at £128,000, but without transparent data, these numbers remain unverified.
The MoD has affirmed its commitment to transparency and moral obligations toward Afghans who supported UK operations, emphasizing that all costs are funded through government spending reviews. Despite these assurances, the inability to provide clear financial accountability has drawn criticism and concerns over fiscal management.
Looking ahead, the Public Accounts Committee is set to investigate the matter further, aiming to clarify the true costs and improve oversight mechanisms. This situation underscores broader challenges in handling sensitive data breaches while maintaining public trust and accountability in government operations.
