Starmer says Tory ministers have ‘serious questions’ to answer about Afghan data leak
Keir Starmer starts by saying MPs across the house have always supported the UK supporting Afghans who helped the British army.
Yesterday the government set out the failings that Labour inherited.
Starmer says ministers in the last government have “serious questions” to answer.
Yesterday, the defence secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited – a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.
He welcomes the fact the defence committee plans to hold an inquiry.
Key events
Badenoch only learned about Afghan data leak on Monday – because she missed security briefing in March, No 10 says
Peter Walker
Peter Walker is a senior Guardian correspondent.
Kemi Badenoch was offered a security briefing in March, on privy council terms, where she would have been told about the Afghan data leak, and the secret resettlement scheme for the first time, it has been revealed. But she did not attend because she did not think it was urgent.
At a post-PMQs lobby briefing, the PM’s press secretary said Badenoch was offered the briefing in March – but refused.
Badenoch’s spokesperson said that as opposition leader she received “innumerable” offers of security briefings, and refused this one as it was not marked as urgent. In June the issue was listed as urgent, so she sought a briefing, and was informed about the scheme on Monday, he added.
Badenoch’s spokesperson was unable to say precisely how many briefings were offered, or to confirm if another shadow minister went in Badenoch’s place, and was then unable to brief her because of the superinjunction.
At the No 10 briefing, Downing Street refused to say if Stamer accepted the need for secrecy, but said the bar for such superinjunctions should be set “exceptionally high”. The PM’s press secretary said:
It should never be used to hide inconvenient facts or save ministers from embarrassment.
The data leak had highlighted “the total incompetence at the top of government” under the Conservatives, she added.
Asked about calls for a full public inquiry into what happened, the No 10 spokesperson did not rule this out. but said it was “right that parliament is able to scrutinise this issue in the first instance”.
Lib Dems call for public inquiry into Afghan data breach
After PMQs the Liberal Democrats released a statement from Ed Davey, the party leader, firming up what he said to Keir Starmer implying there should be public inquriy into the Afghan date leak. (See 12.17pm.)
In the statement Davey said:
It’s catastrophic that a security breach of this size and significance – with potentially lethal consequences for Afghans who bravely supported the British campaign in Afghanistan – could occur at the MoD under the Conservatives’ watch.
The scale and length of the superinjunction used to cover up the ministers who oversaw this scandal – as well as the potentially enormous cost to the taxpayer – is unprecedented. The British media should never have been forced to go to court to shed light on this scandal.
Keir Starmer must launch a full public inquiry – to report by the end of this year – to ensure no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of answers. Such scrutiny is well overdue.
At the post-PMQs lobby briefing No 10 did not rule out a public inquiry, but indicated that Starmer is happy for the Commons defence committee to take the lead investigating this at the moment.
Earlier, during PMQs, Starmer himself did not pick up on Davey’s suggestion that a public inquiry should take place.
PMQs – snap verdict
It would not be quite right to describe that PMQs as totally pointless. The Legacy Act answer was interesting (see 12.51pm) And, on Gaza, Keir Starmer is starting to sound adrift of public opinion, which is arguably more aligned with Ed Davey. But, as Lewis Goodall from the News Agents podcast points out, there was a massive, 30-minute hole in the exchanges.
A stunning and shameful PMQs. Parliament has been denied its right to scrutinise the government for two years via a constitutionally unprecedented superinjunction. Huge amounts of public money has been spent in secret. 100,000 Afghans put in danger. Did any backbench MP get up and ask the PM about it? Express any outrage as a democratically elected politician? Ask the PM to rule out it ever happening again? No. Not a word. Pathetic.
PMQs is often presented as the fulcrum of the national debate. Not today.
Instead the main exchanges, between Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch, were unilluminating, forgettable and a bit dull. They both sounded in need of a good holiday, as most of us probably are.
But the final exchanges did at least produce some useful talking points for Tory or Labour activists who want to spent time campaigning over the summer, instead of taking a break. This is what Badenoch said:
It’s the end of term, so why don’t we go through his end of term scorecard? The economy is contracting; inflation, highest in the G7; unemployment up every month under this government; spending out of control, borrowing costs more expensive than Greece, and this is just the first year.
The fact is, this summer, they’re going to have to go to their constituents and explain why they’ve been making such a mess over the last 12 months. And isn’t [it] the case that the worst – given that this is just their first year – the worst is yet to come?
And Starmer replied:
We’re happily going to go to our constituents. We’re going to tell them we promised two million extra NHS appointments and we delivered four million extra appointments. I’ve got to upgrade that, it’s now 4.5 million extra appointments. So we’re going to tell our constituents that.
Then we’re going to tell them about the free school meals we’re rolling out, free breakfast clubs, the free childcare and school uniform costs. We’ll tell them about that.
And then when we’ve done that, we’ll move on to affordable houses and tell them about the £39bn we’re investing.
When we’ve finished that, we’ll tell them about the rail and road upgrades across the country with a £120bn investment, and of course, the three trade deals. We’re only just getting started.
Around the time Badenoch was speaking, the Tories were sending an email to supporters about yesterday’s opposition day debate, and Labour and other parties voting against the Tory call for the two-child benefit cap to stay for good. This is a niche issue for rightwingers. But Badenoch chose not to go on this, and instead focused on the economy – as she has been doing increasingly in recent PMQs. It is probably the right choice; ultimately this is the issue on which the government is most likely to be judged.
Badenoch was also a little less angry and hypberbolic than usual today. Her pitch was more about the government being bad, rather than diabolically awful. Whether that was intentional, or just because she is flagging a bit, wasn’t obvious, but it was an improvement nevertheless, because it made her sound more credible. She has yet to find a way of besting Starmer at PMQs with any regularity, but more often now she is holding her own.
And here is Peter Walker’s story from PMQs, about Keir Starmer saying Conservative ministers have “serious questions to answer” about the Afghan data leak.
Starmer defends plan to repeal NI Legacy Act, saying it gave army veterans ‘false promise of immunity that does not exist’
Opposition to the government’s plan to repeal the Legacy Act, the Tory legislation granting an amnesty to former soldiers and former terrorists at risk of prosecution over Troubles-era crimes, is growing, and yesterday it was reported that Al Carns, the veterans minister, may even resign over the issue. And that is why Keir Starmer’s response to a question about this from the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood was interesting. It was probably the strongest defence Starmer has yet given for what the govenrment is doing.
The Eastwood/Starmer exchange came just after Kemi Badenoch’s questions, and just before Ed Davey’s, so it got missed earlier. So here it is.
Eastwood said Starmer would never know how much it meant to victims in Northern Ireland when he said, in the past, that no murder would be immune from prosecution. He asked Starmer to recommit to that.
And Starmer replied:
This is a really important issue. Can I begin by saying I have a profound respect and debt to our veterans who serve.
This is a complicated issue, and we’ve got to get this right.
Veterans are at risk because of the false promises of the last government. Let’s be clear. They made a false promise of immunity that does not exist. It was unlawful. It was struck down, and it was undeliverable. Their failed Legacy Act leaves veterans exposed with no settled process.
We will create a secure, transparent system that protects veterans from unjustified persecution and gives victims families and survivors the confidence that they need in the process.
Pippa Heylings (Lib Dem) asks about the water crisis in South Cambridgeshire.
Starmer says it is shocking how long people have had to wait for a reservoir. He says the government is addressing this now.
And that is the end of PMQs.
James Frith (Lab) asks Starmer to confirm that parents will be consulted about reforms to the broken Send (special educational needs and disability) system.
Starmer says it was broken, like almost everything left by the Tories.
Martin Wrigley (Lib Dem) says Ukrainians on the homes for Ukraine scheme are worried about their visas running out. Some of their children are half way through courses, and worried about having to leave.
Starmer says the government does want to provide “certainty and security” to Ukrainians in the UK. Another 18 months is being guaranteed, he says.
Lincoln Jopp (Con) asks if the PM agrees that he needs “more pace and less spin” from his ministers.
Starmer says his ministers have delivered, and he suggests Jopp needs a break.
Imran Hussain (Lab) says Israel is starving and killing Palestinian children. These are war crimes. The UK is imposing sanctions against Russia. Why won’t it act in the same way against war crimes in Gaza.
Starmer says all the incidents in Gaza must be fully investigated. And a ceasefire is needed, as well as hostage releases.
Graham Stuart (Con) says the Labour manifesto was, like the Salt Path, beautifully written, and a pack of lies. Could the PM recommend some summer reading.
Starmer says Tory MPs seem to be on recess already.
Brian Leishman (Lab) asks about plans to close the Alexander Dennis bus factory in Falkirk.
Starmer says this is deeply concerning. Labour mayors are ordering Scottish buses. But the SNP government is buying buses from China, he says. They should be supporting Scottish jobs.
Blake Stephenson (Con) asks about health reorganisation in mid Bedfordshire.
Starmer says the 10-year plan highlights the importance of local accountability.