Conservatives call on ICO to investigate Reform UK's Doge-style data requests
12/06/2025 | Independent
The Conservative Party has called on the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to investigate Reform UK regarding the data it has requested for its local council cost-cutting initiative—based on the model adopted by the US Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)—calling it a "cyber-security disaster waiting to happen".
Shadow Communities Secretary Kevin Hollinrake wrote to the ICO, claiming that Reform UK's broad data demands risk exposing sensitive information, including the identities of whistleblowers, the names and addresses of Meals-on-Wheels recipients, and foster carer payments.
The Conservatives also questioned the credentials of Reform's proposed "unit of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors," who will be handling this data, along with their apparent lack of a legal basis for making the requests in Kent County Council. A letter from Reform to the council stated that their analysis team is "bound by data protection obligations," but also warned of council motions and potential gross misconduct charges for obstruction.
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