A top civil servant at the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD) received a payoff of £313,000 upon his departure amid a data leak scandal involving sensitive information about Afghans who assisted British forces. David Williams, the permanent secretary, announced his resignation in August of last year, two weeks after it became publicly known that an MoD official had inadvertently disclosed details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had supported British military operations.
The data breach, which occurred in 2022, compromised the security of thousands of Afghans who feared for their lives following the Taliban's return to power. More than 100 UK officials were also affected by the leak. The incident is estimated to have incurred an £850 million bill for the government to resettle those impacted, though reporting on the breach was initially blocked by a super-injunction until last summer.
At the time of the public revelation, Defence Secretary John Healey had a discussion with Williams, indicating that it was an opportune moment for a transition. Healey publicly commended Williams for his contributions, stating, "David has so much to be proud of throughout his career and in this role as permanent secretary. I wish him all the very best for the future."
Williams officially left his £210,000-a-year position as permanent secretary in November of last year. He had served in the role since April 2021 and was four months short of completing his five-year contract. The latest MoD accounts confirmed that Williams CB was awarded a payment of £313,810 related to his voluntary exit, in accordance with Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules. Documents also indicated that Williams possessed a pension pot valued at £2.2 million, which entitled him to a lump sum of approximately £240,000 to £245,000 and an annual income of around £100,000.