Raids on Matt Hancock whistleblowers may have ‘chilling effect’ on press freedom
A Tory minister has hit back against raids on suspected whistleblowers who helped reveal Matt Hancock’s affair.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) used little-known powers to search two homes and seize laptops as part of its investigation into how the CCTV wound up with The Sun.
The watchdog is treating the leak, which forced the health secretary to resign in disgrace, as an ‘alleged data breach’.
But freedom of speech campaigners have hit back at the heavy-handed move – and even one of Mr Hancock’s former cabinet colleagues appears to agree.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has written to the ICO to raise concerns that the searches could prevent journalists uncovering wrongdoing in public office, The Sun reports.
He said: ‘As I am sure you will agree, free speech and a free press are the cornerstones of our liberties and democracy.
‘Legal protections for them will be further strengthened through protections in our Online Safety Bill, including a specific carve out for journalistic content so our press can continue holding power to account unfettered.
‘I therefore take the concerns that have been raised about how this ICO investigation could have a chilling effect on public interest journalism very seriously.’
The infamous snog with his aide Gina Coladangelo, which was captured on a CCTV camera installed in his own office, came at a time when the health secretary was publicly telling Brits not to hug their loved ones.
Mr Hancock’s hypocrisy triggered outrage across the country and forced him to hand in his notice – despite Downing Street’s initial insistence that the matter was closed and decision not to sack him.
Metropolitan Police officers were involved in one of the raids, according to The Times, and other ‘electronic devices’ were taken in for investigation.
Mr Dowden continued: ‘I am keen to understand how you will ensure this investigation specifically fully takes into account journalistic exemptions in the Data Protection Act 2018 and how your approach to investigations generally ensure that freedom of speech and expression are properly protected.’
Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham denied the raids on residential properties amounted to an attack on freedom of the press.
She said: ‘I’m also passionate about free journalism, the importance of an independent press and I’m also passionate about whistleblowers.
‘But whistleblowers and the public interest turns on us establishing the facts in this case.
‘So it’s important that we go in and we look at the facts and only then will we make a determination as to whether this data breach was in the public interest.’
In a principled rebuke to the watchdog, Sun editor Victoria Newton has previously said she’d rather go to jail than reveal the paper’s sources.
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