HR investigation into Commissioner Edwards concludes that there is 'case to answer'

In a statement, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provided a further update into the ongoing absence of Information Commissioner John Edwards. 

On Wednesday, 10 June, the ICO announced temporary governance changes following the conclusion of an independent HR investigation into Commissioner Edwards. The investigation, which began after Edwards voluntarily stepped back from his duties on 26 February, found that there is a case to answer. 

As a consequence, the Commissioner is temporarily unable to fulfil his responsibilities for the remainder of the process. Because the Commissioner is accountable directly to Parliament and not employed by the ICO, the next steps will be determined by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The statement also clarifies that when a serving Commissioner is unable to act, the Deputy Commissioners assume the non-delegable responsibilities. Therefore, in accordance with the ICO's Scheme of Delegation, last approved in July 2025, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Executive Paul Arnold will temporarily assume these duties. DSIT has designated Arnold as Temporary Acting Accounting Officer for the ICO during this period. 

Both DSIT and the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee have been informed of the arrangements. 

The development follows an update at the beginning of the week, in which a LinkedIn post by Jon Baines highlights an additional response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted via the WhatDoTheyKnow website. 

The ICO's Information Access Team acknowledges that it "identified an additional email that falls in scope of your request and that should have been disclosed." 

The latest email is between ICO Interim Chief Executive, Paul Arnold MBE, and Jenny Hall, Director for the Digital and Data Economy at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The email contents reveal that senior leaders neither expected nor appreciated Commissioner Edwards' post ahead of his stepping back. In the email, Arnold explains, without going into detail, the "subsequent upset and concerns it has caused," before drawing attention to the Commissioner's failure to respond to an unnamed colleague's request that he "refrain from any future posts." Arnold concludes that there "remains an active and live risk we are managing re the health and safety of our staff."

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