Nigel Farage has launched a scathing attack on the British government after a two-year media injunction was lifted, revealing what he called an "extraordinary" Afghan asylum scandal involving incompetence, dishonesty and threats to national security.
In a video posted to X, the Reform UK leader condemned both Conservative and Labour administrations for covering up a catastrophic data breach that exposed 100,000 Afghan nationals to potential Taliban retribution.
"An email mis-sent published the names of 100,000 people in Afghanistan that were available to the Taliban," Farage stated, describing how many of those affected had assisted British forces during the 20-year conflict.
The breach, which occurred through careless email handling, led to an emergency airlift operation bringing 25,000 people to Britain at a cost of £7 billion.
X / NIGEL FARAGE
|Nigel Farage lashed out at the Conservative Party
The Ministry of Defence data breach exposed personal information of nearly 20,000 Afghan nationals who had applied to British government schemes supporting those who helped UK forces between 2001 and 2021.
The disaster was triggered by careless handling of an email containing names and details of applicants to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.
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The breach meant individuals regarded as traitors by the Taliban government had their identities compromised, with sources indicating some named on the list were subsequently killed.
Farage revealed that the 2023 decision to evacuate affected individuals included "convicted sex offenders" among those brought to Britain.
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"I promise you, I am not making any of this up," he insisted in his video statement.
The staggering financial burden of the operation has emerged as a key point of Farage's criticism, with the Reform UK leader highlighting that none of the 25,000 evacuees were included in official immigration statistics.
"The cost of the operation has been a staggering £7 billion," Farage declared, adding that "the numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension."
He expressed particular alarm about public safety implications, stating "the threat to women walking the streets of this country is incalculable" due to convicted sex offenders being among those relocated.
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The concealment of these figures represents what Farage characterised as deliberate obfuscation by successive governments, with a "veil of secrecy" maintained throughout the operation.
Farage reserved his harshest criticism for Conservative leadership, directly attacking Kemi Badenoch and Chris Philp, whom he dismissed as "that odd little figure" who appears on television claiming the situation is terrible.
"Don't let the Conservative Party, don't let Kemi Badenoch or that odd little figure Chris Philp who appears on our screens to say 'isn't this terrible?', they caused this in the first place," Farage stated.
He declared the scandal exemplified "the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of the priorities of the British Government" across both Conservative and Labour administrations.
"For this, they should never ever be forgiven," Farage concluded, noting that whilst Labour is "collapsing in the polls," the Conservatives who initiated the cover-up deserve equal condemnation.