I’ve led people in high-pressure environments - at sea, in boardrooms, and now observing leadership with what I hope is a clearer lens than ever. And one thing I’ve learned is this: leadership is built on trust, and trust depends on truth.
That’s why the Afghan resettlement scandal feels so significant: not simply as a policy failure, but as a mirror reflecting something far deeper and more corrosive. This wasn’t just a case of a data breach being swept under the rug. It was a conscious decision to withhold the truth from the British people.
The justification? That lives were at risk. And if that’s true, then of course confidentiality matters. But here's the troubling bit: rather than explaining that risk and making the moral case for resettling Afghans - many of whom had risked their own lives for British forces - the government chose silence. It chose not to trust the public with the truth.
Worse still, many MPs knew what had happened. And not one of them used parliamentary privilege to bring it into the open.
That tells us something alarming: somewhere along the way, our leaders stopped treating the public like adults. And when that happens - when secrecy becomes standard, and silence is safer than speaking up - leadership fails.
Here are five lessons we all need to take from this.
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Leadership built on secrecy breeds suspicion
Secrecy has its place. Leaders often need to manage information carefully, particularly when lives are at risk or timing is critical. Leaders often have to manage information carefully - especially when lives are at risk or when timing is critical. But when secrecy is used not to protect people, but to protect narratives or political convenience, it becomes a liability. In this case, the justification was national security. Yet oddly, no public case was made at the time. No statement of principle. No appeal for understanding. Just silence. Leadership tip: If you're not willing to explain a decision, you're probably not confident enough in its merits. Great leaders don’t shy away from difficult conversations - they lead them. Transparency isn’t always about revealing everything; it's about explaining why you can’t.
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Silence is a decision, and a dangerous one
One of the most damning aspects of this scandal is how many MPs knew about the cover-up and said nothing. They had a legal and constitutional mechanism - parliamentary privilege - to reveal the truth without fear of legal consequences. But they chose not to. This wasn’t just a lapse in judgment. It was a collective failure of courage. Leadership tip: The moment you tell yourself “it’s not my place” to speak up, ask who else is going to. Silence in the face of wrongdoing isn’t neutrality. It’s complicity. Courage is often lonely - but it’s also contagious.
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Assuming the worst of people becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
What does it say about a government - or a leader - that it doesn’t trust the people it serves? The implicit calculation behind the cover-up was that the electorate couldn’t be trusted with nuance or compassion. That honesty would derail support. That the truth was too volatile. But here’s the irony: by keeping it secret, they’ve created the very outrage they feared. Not because of what they did - but because they didn’t trust the public enough to explain it. Leadership tip: Treat people like adults. Whether you're leading a team, a business, or a nation, assume your audience can handle complexity. Respect is a two-way street. If you want loyalty and understanding, you have to offer trust and honesty in return.
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When no one takes responsibility, everyone loses trust
One of the more maddening features of modern leadership - especially in politics - is the disappearance of accountability. There are always processes, departments, or vague "systemic failures" to blame. But no one puts up their hand and says, “This one’s on me.” In this case, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the data breach, the decision to keep it quiet, or the communications strategy that followed. The British public is being treated like a problem to be managed, rather than a community to be led. Leadership tip: Accountability is magnetic. People don’t expect perfection from their leaders - but they do expect ownership. Taking responsibility, even when it's uncomfortable, builds credibility and culture. Denial, on the other hand, corrodes them both.
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Reputation isn’t built by avoiding mistakes, but by how you respond to them
Mistakes happen. Breaches occur. Operations go wrong. That’s life in any organisation. What defines your leadership is what happens next. This scandal could have been handled with integrity. A statement to the public. An appeal to shared values. A commitment to learn and improve. Instead, the government chose suppression and deflection - and in doing so, turned a manageable crisis into a reputational wound. Leadership tip: Your reputation isn’t what you say in press releases - it’s what people say when things go wrong. Integrity, transparency, and speed of response matter more than polish. Be first with the truth, even when it’s hard.
The slow collapse of legitimacy
The greatest cost here isn’t financial or even political. It’s psychological. Every time trust is eroded, it takes years to rebuild. And when people begin to believe that leaders don’t trust them - or worse, don’t respect them - the damage goes deep.
The British state has long enjoyed a reputation for competence and principle. That image is now wearing thin. People aren’t just angry - they’re disillusioned. That’s harder to fix. You can’t govern a population that no longer believes you act in good faith.
And that’s what worries me most: not some dramatic collapse, but something slower - and far harder to fix. This isn’t revolution; it’s decay. Not scandal, but a slow drift into entropy. A quiet, grinding erosion of credibility as institutions surrender their moral authority to lead. Once that rot sets in, it rarely makes headlines. It simply becomes the new normal. And trust, once broken, takes years to rebuild.
Final thought
We’re not yet beyond repair. But leadership must change - not just in politics, but in every boardroom, community group, and organisation across the country. Because leadership isn’t about control. It’s about trust. And right now, that trust is on life support.
William Montgomery is the Founder and CEO of TEN LTD, and an experienced keynote speaker and event host. He has spoken to a broad range of audiences on a variety of topics, bringing valuable insights and expertise. In addition, he volunteers with Speakers for Schools and Inspiring the Future. For more information or to request further insights, please contact him on +44 333 666 1010.