The UK government is facing a legal challenge over the Afghan asylum claims (Image: Getty)
The British government may be forced to accept up to 100,000 Afghans, following a legal challenge by lawyers. They will attempt to show that the Afghans rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) have been breached because they are in danger of reprisals from the Taliban.
A planned judicial review will try to prove that the Ministry of Defence’s argument – as expressed in the Rimmer report – for closing the resettlement scheme for affected Afghans is false. It will claim that people whose names were leaked now face a threat to their human rights under article 2 and article 3 of the ECHR. The articles give claimants a right to life and a right to freedom from degrading treatment or punishment.
Afghans wait to board a US military plane in Kabul (Image: Getty)
Lawyers could argue these rights are now at risk from the Taliban, following the leak of their identities.
Sean Humber, a partner at the firm Leigh Day, told The Telegraph: “We are looking at possible legal avenues for judicial challenge for people who have been denied relocation and are now finding themselves on the list. They are now at an increased risk. As well as the compensation, it’s a case of whether the Government should now take action.”
A government spreadsheet containing the names of 25,000 Afghans was accidentally leaked by a Royal Marine in February 2022. The Afghans had applied to resettle in the UK, due to the fact they had worked with the British Army during military operations ion the country.
However, ministers have conceded that the total number could rise to between 80,000 and 100,000, when families and other dependents are included.
Some 900 Afghans and 3,600 family members have since been brought to Britain or are in transit under the program known as the Afghan Response Route, at a cost of around £400 million.
Applications from 600 more people have also been accepted, bringing the estimated total cost of the scheme to £850 million.
They are among some 36,000 Afghans who have been accepted by Britain under different schemes since the August 2021 fall of Kabul. The details of more than 100 Britons, including spies and special forces personnel were also revealed in the leak.
The leak was only revealed to the public earlier this week after a news blackout imposed by the previous Conservative government was finally lifted.
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Hundreds of migrants in UK hotels have been charged with rape, robbery and GBH
More than 20,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year (Image: Getty)
An investigation into offences committed by those housed in asylum hotels has found that hundreds have been charged with crimes this year. Of the 32,000 people currently living in asylum hotels, 339 appeared before magistrates in the first six months of 2025 for crimes such as GBH, robbery and rape.
According to statistics, around 1.37 million people appear before magistrates each year, with the data suggesting that asylum seekers were around half as likely to appear than the general population. The investigation carried out by The Sun, believes that the number of asylum hotel residents appearing before the courts could be higher due to the Home Office’s refusal to publish the location of around half of the 210 believed to be operating. Of the cases monitored in the investigation, 29 related to sexual offences, consisting of seven alleged rapes, one proven incident of indecent exposure and another of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Approximately 32,000 people currently live in asylum hotels (Image: Getty)
One case involved an Ethiopian migrant who tried to kiss a 14-year-old schoolgirl just days after arriving.
Of the crimes, 64 were for violence-related offences such as ABH and GBH as well as possession of a firearm.
The figures show that around 1% of the asylum hotel occupants have appeared in court so far this year, compared to 2% of the general population.
Despite this, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused the Home Office of endangering women and girls with their actions on asylum.
He told the Sun: “This shocking investigation lays bare the risk posed by these illegal immigrants.
“Women are being raped and sexually assaulted and even police officers attacked. We know that the nationalities crossing the Channel are 24 times more likely to wind up in prison than average.
“Yvette Cooper has let in the highest-ever number of illegal immigrants so far this year and has lost control of our borders.
The UK and France have agreed to work closer together to combat irregular migration (Image: Getty)
“Women and girls are at risk as a result. I’m sick of the crime being committed by illegal immigrants coming from France. We just need to deport them all immediately upon arrival, whether to Rwanda or elsewhere.”
The Home Office: “While The Sun’s analysis covers only one in 2,000 of the cases that go to court in our country, there is no excuse for people who abuse our country’s hospitality and commit crimes after arriving here.”
The UK and France have agreed to work together to combat the surge in small boat crossings across the English Channel which have seen more than 20,000 people make the journey so far this year.
The two countries will pilot a “one in, one out” scheme which will see some small boat arrivals being detained and returned to France.
In return an equal number of migrants will then be able to come to the UK from France through a new legal route.
