The Information Commissioner’s Office has said the “the current checks and balances” in Freedom of Information legislation are “sufficient”.

In a submission to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information, the data watchdog also stated that introducing FoI flat rate fees would be “disproportionate”.

Journalists often have to battle with Information Commissioner Christopher Graham, who has the right to block the release of information. So his support for the status quo on FoI, as the impartial enforcer of the act, will be seen as a boost for the campaign to protect it from being weakened.