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| Farage raises alarm over hidden refugee flights. |
Nigel Farage called out Britain’s refugee program this week, saying secret flights brought in Afghan sex offenders without public consent. He said thousands came quietly and some had serious convictions. His claim set off fierce debate between Reform UK and the Labour government .
Around 4,500 Afghans have landed so far under a scheme born in 2023 after a MoD data leak. Officials expected to relocate about 6,900 Afghans under this “Afghan Response Route.” That plan has since closed to new arrivals .
Farage said the whole effort cost a staggering £7 billion and endangered British women on the streets. He claimed convicted sexual criminals slipped through the checks. He urged the public to demand answers .
The government admits secret moves followed a 2022 spreadsheet leak that exposed nearly 19,000 Afghans at risk. It used a rare superinjunction to keep the data breach and rescue flights under wraps until July 2025 .
Defence Secretary John Healey flatly denied any sex offenders entered under the program. He said every arrival faced strict criminal-records checks. He told Times Radio that if Farage has proof then police should see it .
The original leak swept public life by surprise. A Royal Marine mistakenly emailed a spreadsheet with over 18,700 Afghan names and contact details. The breach remained hidden until a Facebook post revealed it 18 months later .
Once the data hit social media, ministers fast-tracked what they called a protective relocation. They set up the Afghan Response Route, moving high-risk Afghans in small groups. Numbers grew from a few hundred to thousands by mid-2025 .
The move flew under the radar of MPs and the press. Parliamentary records never showed the secret flights. Immigration stats listed only general Afghan arrivals, masking the special program .
By March 2025, about 36,000 Afghans had found refuge through three schemes, costing up to £7 billion in total. The £850 million price tag for the Response Route covered transport, housing and care for 6,900 people .
Critics say the secrecy fuelled conspiracy theories. Farage’s charge of sex offenders arose from that distrust. Labour leaders argue the hundreds of refugees with vetting checks are far safer than those crossing by boat without any screening .
Labour ministers note that since 2021 over 16,000 people crossed the Channel from France. Those arrivals face thin security checks and heavy backlogs. By contrast, the Afghan scheme used full police and intelligence vetting .
Human-rights groups warn that public hostility harms refugees more than it helps. They note many Afghans helped British forces in Helmand province and face Taliban revenge if left behind .
Nigel Farage framed the story as an urgent threat to national safety. He said mothers in London deserve to know if sex offenders walk free in their streets. His words won headlines but no court evidence so far .
Lawyers for the affected Afghans are gearing up suits over the leak. They say the MoD’s email error put lives in danger and broke data-protection law. Around 1,000 claimants have registered interest, with 665 launching formal actions by mid-2025 .
Court filings show the superinjunction lasted from 2023 until Justice Chamberlain lifted it on July 15, 2025. The judge said continued secrecy was unjustified given public interest and cost .
Defence Secretary Healey told Parliament the scheme ends this month. He said round-two flights won’t launch. Still, relocation offers already made in Afghanistan will stand, he added .
Backbench MPs now call for a full Commons inquiry. They want to know who approved the superinjunction and why civilian parliamentarians were left in the dark .
Meanwhile, boats keep arriving. In 2024, small craft brought 16,670 Afghans without any secret scheme. Those crossings fuel voter anger on both left and right. Parties scramble to show tough immigration stances .
Home Office law changes in April 2025 now bar foreign sex offenders from asylum claims. Convicted migrants face immediate removal under a new bill. That move counters claims like Farage’s by tightening rules on criminal arrivals .
Human-rights campaigners fear the law’s blanket ban may unjustly bar genuine refugees. They press for case-by-case reviews to avoid harming innocent applicants .
Farage’s latest salvo shows the power of secrecy to shape public view. News of secret flights trumps facts of thorough vetting. Now both government and opposition stake out fierce positions on refugee safety, cost and national security .