Afghan Special Forces Relocation Review

The Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, provided an update to the House on the ongoing review of Afghan relocations and assistance policy scheme applications from former members of Afghan specialist units, including the Commando Force 333 and Afghan Task Force 444, commonly known as the Triples. The Minister explained that the review was announced by the previous government in response to inconsistencies in how decisions on ARAP applications from the Triples were being made. He revealed that the review has uncovered evidence of direct employment relationships between the UK government and some members of the Triples, contrary to the previous government's position. As a result, the Minister stated that eligible former Triples and their families will now be invited to relocate to the UK. The shadow Minister, Andrew Bowie, thanked the Minister for the update and tone of the statement. He expressed support for the review process initiated by the previous government and called for the correct decisions to be made on these sensitive applications as quickly and fairly as possible. Bowie also sought clarification on the course of action for Triples where no evidence of employment is found, as well as an update on the flow of ARAP-eligible Afghans from Afghanistan to Pakistan and then to the UK. The debate that followed saw contributions from members across the House, who welcomed the Minister's statement and reiterated the debt of gratitude owed to those who served alongside UK forces in Afghanistan. Several members raised individual cases and urged the Minister to ensure that all eligible Afghans, including those beyond the Triples cohort, are able to safely relocate to the UK. The importance of improving information-sharing and record-keeping processes to prevent similar issues in the future was also highlighted. The Minister acknowledged the cross-party support for the Triples and the ARAP scheme, and committed to providing further updates to the House as the review progresses. He emphasized the need to learn lessons from this experience to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated, and that all those eligible for relocation are able to reach safety in the UK.