'£7bn Afghan migrant cover-up' and 'Kitchen nightmare'
- Published
News that the UK government secretly relocated thousands of Afghans after a data leak put their lives at risk from the Taliban dominates Wednesday's papers. The Daily Telegraph leads with its take on the "£7bn Afghan migrant cover-up", saying the UK secretly offered asylum to 24,000 Afghans after a 2022 data breach exposed the names and personal details of 19,000 people. The paper says the scheme was kept secret for almost two years due to a super-injunction requested by the government.
The UK government fought for two years to keep the "fiasco" hidden using an "unprecedented" super-injunction to gag the media and public, says the i Paper. The paper also quotes former defence secretary Ben Wallace who defended the court order saying "The judge did the right thing... It saved lives".
The Metro reports the gag order was finally lifted by a High Court judge on Tuesday, who says the injunction had "given rise to serious free speech concerns".
The Times features quotes from Labour chairman of the defence select committee Tan Dhesi, who says the data breach and super-injunction were "an absolute mess and wholly unacceptable". Alongside is a photograph of UK troops and Afghans sitting on the ground as military helicopters fly over them.
The Financial Times follows with its coverage of the "secret multi-billion pound scheme", saying the plan was to relocate 25,000 people at a "potential cost of £7bn" according to a government estimate. The paper reports that the government has moved about 18,500 Afghans to the UK so far.
"Ministers still won't come clean on secret Afghan airlifts" declares the Daily Mail. The paper says taxpayers and MPs were "kept in the dark" as the cost of the scheme was signed off.
"Panicked" minsters and officials at the Ministry of Defence learned of the data breach in August 2023 and feared publicity of the incident could put the lives of thousands of Afghans at risk, the Guardian reports. Elsewhere, the paper also reports on the firing of Masterchef John Torode after an allegation of racist language was upheld.
The Daily Mirror headlines their lead on Torode's firing with "BBC's kitchen nightmare". The paper says the incident has left Masterchef's future "in doubt".
"Sackings don't get tougher than this" says the Daily Star, as it features a story on Torode breaking his silence after "getting the boot".
Finally, the "moronic mission" of two men who cut down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree takes top spot on the Daily Express. The paper reports the men have both been jailed for four years after felling the world-famous Northumberland landmark in a fit of "drunken stupidity".
The Times calls the government's gagging order a "cover-up", external and says the leak risked the lives of up to 100,000 Afghans.
It says ministers had originally earmarked £7bn for the relocation scheme.
The Daily Telegraph says it's spoken to a senior Taliban official, who said they had obtained the list of personnel shortly after the leak, and was hunting down, external those named on it, potentially rendering the secrecy battle pointless.
The Guardian features the story of a man who has gone into hiding, external since he was told of the data breach, saying he fears he will be tortured and killed.
The Daily Mail's front page features an image of an unmarked plane, external landing at Stansted Airport in 2024.
The paper says such aircrafts have been arriving at the airport - secretly carrying Afghan migrants - every few weeks.
The Financial Times says more than 600 Afghans have begun legal action, external to sue the Ministry of Defence over the data breach.
The BBC's sacking of the Masterchef host, John Torode, also features heavily on today's front pages.
"Chopped", external is the Sun's headline - the paper says the chef learned about his departure from the show when he read about it on the BBC News website.
The Daily Mirror thinks the sacking of John Torode and Gregg Wallace casts doubt, external on whether new episodes that have already been filmed will ever be aired.
The Daily Express leads with the jail sentences - or "Gap Years", external as the paper dubs them - handed down to the two men responsible for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree.
It quotes the prosecution's description of the act, as having been carried out in a "deliberate, professional way".
The i Paper, external details Gloucester Cathedral's unusual idea to raise funds for repairs - by selling "blessed" beer.
The paper features a photo of the Dean of Gloucester, who has teamed up with a local brewery to bless the appropriately named drink called "CathedrALE".
It's hoped it will raise money to fix cloisters featured in two Harry Potter films.
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