London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

UK minister criticized for misleading claim on Afghan asylum applications

UK minister criticized for misleading claim on Afghan asylum applications

A government minister in the UK has been criticized after wrongly claiming “hundreds of thousands” of people from Afghanistan had applied for asylum in Britain.
James Heappey, minister for the armed forces, made the claim in the House of Commons, while also saying that the majority of Afghans who applied would be ineligible for resettlement in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and refusing to indicate whether the high-profile case of an Afghan pilot would be positively resolved.

“We have had hundreds of thousands of applications — the vast majority of which have come from people who either served in the Afghan National (Security) Forces, who, whilst their effort was heroic, was never who ARAP was aimed at,” he said, adding the scheme was meant for Afghans who worked in “direct support” of the British Armed Forces.

The Independent, however, suggested that the criteria for resettlement under ARAP was narrower than described, which, according to the UK government, is for “Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles.”

The paper said applications were only being approved for people who were directly employed by the British Armed Forces or “those who held a role that materially contributed to a specific British effort in Afghanistan.”

The UK Ministry of Defence told The Independent that the ARAP scheme had received 138,000 applications, of which just 15,420 people had been identified as eligible. Of those, about 12,200 have been relocated to the UK, with the rest remaining in Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan.

Heappey’s comments drew criticism from MP Layla Moran, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats.

“The Conservatives’ handling of the Afghanistan crisis has been catastrophic from the very start,” she told The Independent.

“Now ministers can’t even seem to get the figures right. It’s important that James Heappey corrects the record as soon as possible.

“Getting the facts right is surely the very least that we owe to those brave Afghans who supported our efforts in Afghanistan — and have been so badly let down by the Conservative government.”

Heappey also failed to give any indication whether one Afghan pilot, who flew dozens of missions against the Taliban, was described as a “patriot” by coalition superiors, and who fled to the UK after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, would have his case for asylum approved.

The pilot, whose identity remains a secret for security reasons, has been threatened with deportation to Rwanda in East Africa — a country with which the UK has a deportation agreement — over suggestions that he passed through safe countries, including France, before reaching the UK illegally in a small boat across the English Channel.

The pilot claims he had no choice as there were no safe and legal routes open to him, and that he and many of his former comrades have been “forgotten” by their UK allies. His case has been championed by a number of senior politicians, military figures and media personalities, including the former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt.

Heappey said that the MoD was looking at “whether or not there are any special circumstances under which the (pilot’s) application could be approved,” but added: “In principle, as a member of the Afghan National Security Forces, rather than somebody who worked alongside the British Armed Forces, (he) would not automatically be in scope (of the ARAP scheme).”

An MoD spokesperson told The Independent: “We owe a debt of gratitude to those interpreters and other staff eligible under the ARAP scheme who worked for, or with, UK forces in Afghanistan. That’s why we have committed to relocating all eligible Afghans and their families to the UK under the ARAP scheme — a commitment we will honor.

“Our absolute priority is supporting the movement of eligible people out of Afghanistan and to date, we have relocated over 12,200 individuals to the UK under ARAP.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×