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.

Thousands of Afghans, many of whom had worked alongside British forces, have been quietly resettled in the UK after a data breach exposed their identities and raised fears of Taliban retaliation, the British government confirmed on July 15.