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 latest fallout from the breach was kept secret by an injunction until Thursday, when the order was lifted in part by a High Court judge. That allowed media organisations to reveal that detailed case notes in the database contained secret personal data of special forces and spies.

A major data breach has blown the cover off more than 100 British officials—including MI6 agents and Special Air Service members—while also exposing thousands of Afghan allies to potential Taliban reprisals.