The UK government has been accused of waging a 'secret war against transparency', using tactics to block public access to information, according to a report by openDemocracy. The investigative journalism site claims that 2020 was the worst year for transparency since the Freedom of Information Act was introduced in 2005.
Government figures show that only 41% of freedom of information requests to central government departments were granted in full last year, the lowest since records began. The Cabinet Office dismissed the report as 'complete nonsense', arguing that the Covid pandemic had reduced resources available to answer requests.
However, an analysis of annual government reports reveals a consistent decline in the number of requests fully granted over the past decade, a trend acknowledged by government statisticians. The Cabinet Office disputed the measurement's accuracy, stating that some requests are rightly rejected due to sensitive areas like cabinet committee workings.
The report highlights instances where MPs have been blocked from accessing information, including Conservative MP David Davis, who unsuccessfully sought details of government-commissioned opinion polls. Davis asked: 'When Whitehall is this desperate to avoid publishing the information, the question has to be asked what decisions are they trying to prevent the public from knowing about?'
OpenDemocracy also accuses the government of exploiting loopholes to delay responses and using political advisers to vet requests before decisions are made. A Cabinet Office spokesperson reiterated that the report is 'complete nonsense' and shows a 'total misunderstanding' of the FoI Act, emphasising that during the pandemic, resources were focused on saving lives and the NHS.
