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What do the Afghan leaks tell us about state secrecy in Britain? We’re entering a dangerous era | Theo Burges

This superinjunction shows how easy it could be for a government to avoid proper scrutiny when ‘national security’ is invokedTheo Burges is a criminal barrister with a focus on national security lawsThis week, a British high court judge lifted a superinjunction designed to prevent the reporting of a leak that put the lives of Afghans who cooperated with the UK at risk. The superinjunction was originally expected to be in force from September to December 2023. Instead, it kept details of a national scandal hidden from public scrutiny for years in an extraordinary example of national security providing legal cover for a political crisis.In attempting to remedy the impact of the leak, both Conservative and Labour governments will end up spending £850m. And thousands of Afghans and their families have been brought to the UK via a secret resettlement programme. These significant decisions made by multiple governments have never been publicly scrutinised. So how was this allowed to happen?Theo Burges is a criminal barrister with a focus on national security laws at Red Lion Chambers, London Continue reading...

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