Robert Jenrick@RobertJenrick
The Afghan Response Route has been a complete disaster.
Yes, we have an obligation to keep safe those who had genuinely risked their lives for us and those we’d endangered, who now face credible threats. But, as the Defence Secretary has said, “most of those names on the list were people who didn't work alongside our forces, didn’t serve with our forces.” And as Johnny Mercer has said, the Afghan Response Route has gone well beyond that. It means thousands with few links to Britain have come here - and will continue to come here - at a cost of billions to the public.
Why was the super-injunction extended for two years, so long after the event and with little regard to the consequences for public trust? Why was the vetting of prospective arrivals not tighter? The public needs answers to these questions so this never, ever happens again.
I first learned of the data leak and plan to resettle people after the super-injunction was in place. Parliamentary privilege is not unlimited; I was bound by the Official Secrets Act.
In internal government discussions in the short period before my resignation, the then Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, and I strongly opposed the plans to bring over 24,000 Afghan nationals. For those at genuine risk we thought there were alternative options to pursue that better served the interests of the British people.
The Afghan Response Route was agreed and started after I had resigned from the Government over their migration policies. The plan to do this scheme was on the list of things Suella Braverman and I were working together to oppose and change.
Clearly the last Government made serious mistakes. What’s not been mentioned enough is what has happened since. Thousands more have come since Labour came to power. 5,400 more have received invitation letters and will be flown over in the coming weeks, leading to the cost reaching £7bn.
However, the disastrous data leak does not mean that those who bravely served with our armed forces should have been left at the mercy of the Taliban. It means there needs to be accountability for such a terrible error.
Contrary to what some have suggested, the Afghan individuals I helped came on the ARAP scheme and had nothing to do with the subsequent ARR scheme caused by the data leak.
Sayed was a translator for the British Council working alongside our government to combat the Taliban. He served our country and we were right to protect him.
His family were resettled in August 2021, escaping in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attack at Kabul airport. The catastrophic data leak happened in February 2022 and the Government became aware 18 months later.
To mix up what happened years afterwards and smear them, as some have done, is as stupid as it is shameful.
Sayed supported our people in Afghanistan. He speaks good English and now works in the Midlands. They did not come here on a small boat illegally like those who have no right to be here. They earned their place, were checked, and came here legally.
The British public have lost all confidence in our immigration system. This sorry saga encapsulates why. The public are right to be angry - they should never have been put in this position.
