600 interpreters will be allowed to move to UK as reward for assisting British forces in Afghanistan

British forces will leave Afghanistan at the end of next year (Getty Images)

About 600 Afghan interpreters that put themselves in danger for British forces are to be given settlement rights in the UK, it was announced.

The move comes after the Government was accused of failing in its “moral obligation” to help interpreters at risk of being hunted down by the Taliban once British forces leave at the end of next year.

The package will apply to any Afghan interpreter employed by British forces for more than 12 months since December.

It is estimated that about half the interpreters - roughly 600 - will qualify for resettlement in the UK.

Qualifying interpreters will be offered a five-year visa and help with relocation, accommodation and seeking work in the UK.

Those who do not want to settle in the UK will be offered a five-year training and education package with the Afghan security forces on existing salaries.

High-profile names, including the former chief of the general staff, Sir Mike Jackson, and Lord Ashdown, campaigned for the interpreters saying it was shameful that Britain was the only Nato country yet to provide them with asylum.