Judge slams Michael Gove’s office as openDemocracy wins transparency court case
Exclusive: UK government accused of ‘profound lack of transparency’ as openDemocracy wins legal victory over ‘Orwellian’ Freedom of Information unit
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.
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Latest
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Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsUK Parliament to investigate Michael Gove’s ‘Orwellian’ FOI unitPublic administration and constitutional affairs committee to launch inquiry in the wake of openDemocracy’s...
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Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsCampaigners, MPs demand investigation into UK government's secretive FOI unitThe National Union of Journalists, Campaign for Freedom of Information and others call for inquiry in wake of...
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Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsMet Police accused of 'serious failure' over system flagging 'high-risk' FOI requestsExclusive: Campaigners warn of ‘chilling effect’ after police force categorises journalists’ enquiries about BLM and...
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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...
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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
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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...
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Published in: Freedom of Information: NewsDefence research agency must be subject to Freedom of Information, say campaigners and MPsTransparency group writes to information watchdog as leading MPs and peers call for government to reverse decision...
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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
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Published in: Freedom of InformationHow the UK government is undermining the Freedom of Information Act
From delaying tactics and stonewalling to schoolboy errors, the government is making its disdain for transparency laws clear.
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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...
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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...
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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’...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Published in: Can Europe Make It?Media spectacle
