Hot off the press: the Government has announced that John Edwards, currently New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner, is its preferred candidate to take over from Elizabeth Denham as Information Commissioner later on this year – see here. Mr Edwards will now appear before MPs on the DCMS select committee for pre-appointment scrutiny on 9 September. Following the scrutiny process, a recommendation will be made to the Queen by the Secretary of State for DCMS, acting through the Prime Minister. Elizabeth Denham has issued a statement in which she warmly supports Mr Edwards appointment, saying he ‘would bring extraordinary breadth, leadership and credibility to this role’ – see here.

Anya Proops QC