Defence research agency must be subject to Freedom of Information, say campaigners and MPs
Transparency group writes to information watchdog as leading MPs and peers call for government to reverse decision to exclude £800m project from Freedom of Information
Stop the secrecy: save our Freedom of Information
The UK government is running a secretive unit inside Michael Gove’s Cabinet Office that’s been accused of ‘blacklisting’ journalists and blocking the release of ‘sensitive’ information. Experts say they’re breaking the law – and it’s an assault on our right to know what our government is doing.
We’re not going to let it stand. We’re launching a legal battle – but we also need a huge public outcry, showing that thousands back our call for transparency. Will you add your name?
To: Michael Gove, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
- Come clean about the Clearing House.
- Stop profiling journalists and blocking 'sensitive' requests.
- Empower, fund and make the FOI regulator independent.
By giving your email address you consent to receive communications from openDemocracy.
Our investigations
Follow oD
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: NewsBritish government slammed by regulator over ‘unacceptable’ FOI failuresStinging criticism of Gove’s Cabinet Office laid bare in new openDemocracy analysis. Tory MP calls for...
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: NewsFleet Street editors unite to demand ‘urgent’ action on Freedom of InformationGove under pressure as Guardian, Times, Telegraph, FT, Mirror and others sign openDemocracy letter calling for...
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: InvestigationUK government running ‘Orwellian’ unit to block release of ‘sensitive’ informationExclusive: Secretive Cabinet Office 'Clearing House' for Freedom of Information requests also accused of...
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: OpinionI sent FOIs to UK government departments – then they shared my personal dataopenDemocracy reporter Jenna Corderoy on her personal experiences of trying to prise information from an...
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: FeatureFrom duck houses to nuclear weapons: what we know because of Freedom of Information lawOver the past 20 years, the ‘right to know’ legislation has helped expose many abuses of power, but now it’s under threat
-
Published in:Freedom of Information: InvestigationRevealed: Government’s ‘Orwellian’ unit blocked infected blood scandal disclosureCampaigner whose father died of HIV calls secrecy ‘outrageous’; staff in Michael Gove’s Cabinet Office cited Chilcot...
Latest
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsWhy we’re taking the UK government to court to protect Freedom of InformationopenDemocracy is taking legal action over the Cabinet Office’s ‘Orwellian’ Clearing House that vets FOI requests and...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsFreedom of Information in danger of ‘sliding into obsolescence’, new report findsExclusive: New report from transparency charity calls for FOI overhaul, with new regulatory powers given to Parliament
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsUK government must abolish ‘pernicious’ unit blocking FOI requests, says senior ToryDavid Davis said Cabinet Office’s ‘Clearing House’ unit should be scrapped, and criticised ‘political strategy’ of...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsMPs demand answers from Gove over Freedom of Information concernsSenior Tories to seek answers from Cabinet ministers, after newspaper editors unite behind openDemocracy’s call for...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: InvestigationUK government accused of covering up 'national scandal' over Grenfell-style claddingExclusive: Housing ministry told local authorities it was 'appropriate' to block Freedom of Information requests...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationHow the UK government is undermining the Freedom of Information ActFrom delaying tactics and stonewalling to schoolboy errors, the government is making its disdain for transparency laws clear.
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: OpinionIs the government’s secretive ‘Clearing House’ lawful? An expert explainsWhen government departments share the names of people making freedom of information requests, they may be breaking...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationStop the secrecy: save our Freedom of InformationThe UK government is running a secretive unit that’s been accused of ‘blacklisting’ journalists and blocking the...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationPioneering FOI peer calls for investigation into ‘Orwellian’ Cabinet Office unitLord Clark calls for inquiry in wake of openDemocracy’s revelations about the secretive unit ‘blacklisting’...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: OpinionCynical British public bodies are denying our FOI rightsFreedom of Information is a powerful tool for citizens - but the UK's legislation needs to be amended to prevent...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: OpinionVast sums spent, no one knows why: COVID reveals why UK transparency law must changeBritish governments love to outsource. But Freedom of Information doesn’t apply to private companies, so the rest of...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: OpinionWhy are British politicians so scared of transparency?From scientific advice and procurement contracts to Freedom of Information requests, our government has drastically...
-
Published in: Freedom of Information: OpinionFreedom of Information is broken – help us fix itWe’ve forced the government to obey the law on transparency, but it’s been a long fight. It shouldn’t be this way....
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationRevealed: the files that expose ERG as a militant “party within a party”Documents released following openDemocracy transparency victory reveal European Research Group’s “highly partial”...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationA Kafkaesque journey through the Freedom of Information ActWith ministers talking about restricting Britain's Freedom of Information Act, take these experiences of trying to...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationFreedom of Information in England - holding private contractors to accountWith increased use of outsourcing, particularly in the NHS, campaigners want to bring private contractors under FoI...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationThe sneak attack on Freedom of InformationThe Freedom of Information Act is an essential tool for the British people to hold authority to account. The...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationBig Tobacco and data nabbing: when freedom of information reduces transparencyA tobacco corporation is attempting to access confidential data on teenagers' smoking habits, obtained by university...
-
Published in: Freedom of InformationThe roots of Blair's hostility to Freedom of InformationThat Tony Blair regrets introducing the Freedom of Information Act has been known for some time. But the force with...
-
New in our projects
-
Published in: Can Europe Make It?On not saying goodbye
