Are you prepared to fight for your country? Emmanuel Macron will be announcing a plan to introduce voluntary military service. Could the UK do the same? On today's #Daily podcast, @skynewsniall is joined by former armed forces minister @JSHeappey 🎧 https://t.co/YgDfOsVdHN

Peer behind the curtain of expanded recruitment to militaries across Europe with today’s Daily - what does this mean for the UK? We’ve had @JSHeappey on before, and once again he brings both a soldier’s and a politician’s eye to events.

For every retweet of this post, I will donate £1 to the @VC_and_GC_Assoc up to £50,000. Time is running out following @I_W_M’s decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery. Visit while you still can, to honour the bravery of those who risked so much to protect our great nation.

Operationalising the movement of that new cohort must’ve happened in the months after I left Govt & under the new administration. Everything after 25/3/24, I was reading for the first time this week too. I’m happy to contribute to the HCDC inquiry if required. [25/25]

And on my penultimate day in Govt, 25/3, it was agreed to offer “access to apply for relocation” for 2,300 of those considered on 22/1 plus their families. Around 11,500 people in all. A new ‘secret route’ wasn’t under consideration at that point. [24/25]

New entitlements were considered in 4 DEA meetings during my last months in Govt. 16/11/23: an additional 150 affected persons plus immediate family, revised upwards to 200 + family on 19/12. On 22/1/24, DEA considered a further 2800 high profile individuals plus family. [23/25]

Given strain the system was under already, the Domestic & Economic Affairs (DEA) Committee tried to extend entitlements by smallest number possible. This was led by legal advice & I don’t recall fierce opposition. There was frustrated resignation that it was necessary. [22/25]

The anger across Govt at the MOD over the breach was palpable & justified. There were some pretty choice words offered in meetings. But the suggestion I was driving a new entitlement for those not eligible for ARAP or ACRS but affected by the breach is untrue. [21/25]

Others made decision over injunction but for what it’s worth, I agree that it was needed. Whether it needed to be extended is moot - arguments are finely balanced. I’d left Govt by time of the Court of Appeal extension. And, of course, it was extended after election too. [20/25]

And on the intel assessment: Two things can be true. The assessment we received can be accurate then. And the Rimmer Review can be accurate now. Threat changes over time. Suggestion that threat never existed in first place because it is greatly reduced now is nonsense. [19/25]

But worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented to ARAP applicants whose details had been compromised. The intelligence assessment was clear: if the Taleban got their hands on the list, violent & even lethal reprisal was likely. [18/25]

Few had done more to get people who served alongside our special forces out of Afghanistan. It is incredibly unfair that someone who’d done so much good & changed so many lives deservedly for the better, should also be responsible for RUBIFIC. [17/25]

And then on top of all of that came the data breach (RUBIFIC). It was gut-wrenching to find out that someone in MOD had screwed up so awfully although I also came to find out subsequently that they were incredibly dedicated to those we served with in Afghanistan. [16/25]

But what offended me most, was that our capacity to resettle people legally from Afghanistan under ARAP was becoming constrained by a system consumed by illegal arrivals. Their fates should not be linked. I make no apology for reminding colleagues about the debt we owed. [15/25]

Other departments will have different perspectives: FCDO: Aid budget on hotels & getting ACRS going. HO: Security & hotels. MHCLG: scarce council services capacity & social housing. HMT: Cost. They argued their corner robustly. All perfectly reasonable issues to argue. [14/25]

From a personal perspective, it was maddening to be diverting MOD resource, incl camps, housing, troops & planes, to respond to both legal (ARAP, AFM & ACRS) & illegal arrivals whilst also responding to Ukraine & a worsening geopolitical situation globally. [13/25]

There were endless cross-govt meetings during 2022-23 looking at migrant accommodation, ARAP, ACRS, & then in 2024, the Triples as well. Some meetings became rancorous as depts fought fiercely for their priorities and/or to avoid un-resourced responsibility. [12/25]

And in the background to all of this was hundreds of PITTING evacuees still stuck in hotels alongside tens of thousands of migrants who’d arrived illegally in small boats. Meaning that housing, medical and social services provision was already maxed out. [11/25]

By 2024, ACRS was 2yrs old but the number of arrivals was still low. There was growing pressure from the courts and Parliament to increase flow. ARAP, AFM, Cat4 growth & ACRS were all ongoing prior to the breach. The denouement of the Triples debate came at the same time [10/25]

Additionally, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) was established after PITTING to provide for wider Afghan civil society - journos, judges, human rights campaigners etc. It was administered by FCDO. [9/25]