Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has questioned why it is costing £350,000 per Afghan brought into the UK following the data breach.

Speaking to GB News, Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“I think the problem is wider than that. There’s an administrative failure. Successive governments, our government, were poor on this issue. But I don’t think people were deceived because we wanted to let all these people in.

“I think the problem was the administrative cock up, if I can put it that way, of a huge proportion.

“And with this particular incident, I just ran some figures: 20,000 people equates to £7 billion. That’s £350,000 per person.

“Unless we’re giving them a two bedroom flat in Neasden or wherever it might be I don’t see how you get to those figures. So that really concerns me.

“I think the cover up also is very disappointing. I was part of the administration, but I didn’t have oversight on that.

“But it’s a real problem if you’re spending £350,000 per person and then when it happens, you’re essentially saying, we’re not going to tell the people the truth, I think that’s a real breakdown of trust.

“As someone who has been in government and has been an MP the cover up really concerned me, because actually that’s essentially trying to deceive. That’s where the deception is. We know what’s happened, there’s been a complete breakdown and they’re trying to cover it up.

“And it also was foolish, because at some point the truth will get out.

“My understanding of this is that actually two thirds of the 20,000 were rejected as asylum seekers. That’s the problem. We looked through the people and we only said a third were eligible.

“Getting to the heart of it, it’s been an administrative balls up. That’s pretty clear. And then the bit that I find baffling is the cost.”