Matthew Davis v The Information Commissioner & Anor

Matthew Davis v The Information Commissioner & Anor

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was not entitled to rely on FOIA exemptions to withhold information regarding wine supplied at No 10 Downing Street functions where no overseas guest was in attendance; the Information Commissioner’s decision notice was not in accordance with the law to that extent.

Parties
Appellant: Matthew Davis; First Respondent: The Information Commissioner; Second Respondent: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
11 October 2024
Procedural Posture
Appeal / Final Judgment
Outcome
Appeal allowed in part
Legal Topics
Freedom of Information, International Relations, Public Interest, Government Hospitality, Disclosure Exemptions
Information Rights Administrative Law Freedom of Information International Relations Public Interest Government Hospitality Disclosure Exemptions

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Parties

Matthew Davis

Appellant

The Information Commissioner

First Respondent

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Second Respondent

Procedural Posture

Appeal / Final Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was entitled to rely on exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to withhold information regarding wine supplied at No 10 Downing Street functions.
  2. 2 Whether the Information Commissioner’s decision notice was in accordance with the law.

Ratio Decidendi

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was not entitled to rely on FOIA exemptions to withhold information regarding wine supplied at No 10 Downing Street functions where no overseas guest was in attendance; the Information Commissioner’s decision notice was not in accordance with the law to that extent.

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed in part

Orders

  • The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office must, by no later than 4.00 p.m. on 19 January 2024, send to the Appellant a list of the bottles of wine from the Government Wine Cellar which were provided for any function at No 10 Downing Street between 1 January 2020 and 23 December 2021 at which no overseas guest...