Arnold reveals true feelings towards Commissioner Edwards 'stepping back' post

In a further update on the ongoing absence of Information Commissioner John Edwards, 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."

The whole affair, as Baines comments, is "quite extraordinary." 

Training Announcement: Find out more about our range of independent accredited qualifications from BCS and IAPP. These include professional certifications for practitioners covering data protection and AI governance, information security and risk management, along with access to public information.