Following a data blunder that revealed the identities of thousands evacuated from Afghanistan, law firms are signing up claimants who could each receive up to £250,000 in compensation, leaving taxpayers exposed to a possible £1 billion bill and prompting fresh scrutiny of the Government’s handling of the covert airlift.

Pressure is building on ministers to explain a clandestine £7 billion airlift scheme that has brought 18,500 Afghans into Britain under a long-running super-injunction, prompting cross-party calls for transparency and accountability.

Constance Marten, an aristocrat who fled with her newborn, has been found guilty alongside her partner Mark Gordon of causing the death of baby Victoria after four previous children were removed from their care due to welfare concerns.

In a dispute over proposed industrial action by doctors, ministers accuse Labour of hypocrisy for attacking the ballot’s low turnout while a forthcoming Bill promises to further lower the threshold for walkouts, drawing criticism on both sides of the debate.