Profumo scandal evidence still secret in 'cover-up'
- 1 February 2020
- From the section UK Politics
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Getty Images
A former member of a government advisory panel on historical records says he has "never experienced such a concerted effort to withhold papers" as happened with the still secret files of the Denning inquiry into the Profumo scandal.
The art historian and TV presenter Bendor Grosvenor, who served for seven years on the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives (ACNRA), says: "It was hard to escape the conclusion there was something of a cover-up going on."
The recent BBC drama about the events surrounding Christine Keeler has drawn new attention to the continuing official secrecy regarding the Profumo affair of the early 1960s, which gripped the nation and shook the government.
The files from the official judicial inquiry by Master of the Rolls Lord Denning have not yet been publicly released.
The Cabinet Office spent two years in discussion with the ACNRA, which gives advice on which historical papers should be released or stay secret, resulting in a decision to keep the files confidential until 2048.
Read full article Profumo scandal evidence still secret in 'cover-up'
How the UK secretly funded a Middle East news agency
- 13 January 2020
- From the section UK Politics
Historical documents released by the Foreign Office shed new light on how a secretive team of British civil servants tried to influence the international media during the Cold War.
In one intriguing episode the UK government in the late 1960s persuaded the British-based news agency Reuters to set up a reporting service in the Middle East, funding it surreptitiously via the BBC.
Read full article How the UK secretly funded a Middle East news agency
Sir John Major and Bill Clinton bonded over burdens of office, letters show
- 28 October 2019
- From the section UK Politics
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Getty Images
Sir John Major told the then American President Bill Clinton that Tony Blair would "do fine" as prime minister, just after Mr Blair trounced him in the 1997 general election.
This remark is revealed in documents recently released in the US by the Clinton Presidential Library about the president's dealings with former British Prime Minister Sir John while both were in power in the 1990s.
Read full article Sir John Major and Bill Clinton bonded over burdens of office, letters show
Prince Charles warned Tony Blair against GM foods
- 23 January 2019
- From the section UK Politics
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PA
The Prince of Wales wrote to the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in 1998, criticising the development of genetically modified foods.
In the letter, he accused the biotech industry and scientists of "increasingly frantic promotional efforts" and praised Mr Blair for agreeing to meet opponents of genetic modification, defending them from the charge that they were "hysterical, extreme and anti-progressive".
Read full article Prince Charles warned Tony Blair against GM foods
University friends: By chance or by design?
- 8 December 2018
- From the section Family & Education
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Bristol University
Students often end up making lifelong friendships with the fellow "freshers" they find themselves placed next to in their accommodation - but what determines who lives along side each other?
BBC research using freedom of information (FOI) laws has revealed some universities have perhaps surprising policies on how rooms are allocated.
Read full article University friends: By chance or by design?
Home Office takes years to answer information requests
- 3 September 2018
- From the section UK Politics
There have been 192 freedom of information cases which the Home Office has taken longer than a year to answer in the past three years.
In seven of these the Home Office spent more than two years dealing with the request for information.
Read full article Home Office takes years to answer information requests
Action urged over Whitehall FOI failings
- 24 July 2018
- From the section UK Politics
Major government departments are continuing to demonstrate persistent delays and unhelpfulness in their responses to information requests, according to research conducted by the BBC.
Last June we reported on how the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Cabinet Office were frequently criticised by the Information Commissioner for their inadequate handling of FOI applications.
Surge in Britons getting another EU nationality
- 30 June 2018
- From the section UK Politics
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EPA
There has been a surge in UK citizens acquiring the nationality of another EU country since the Brexit referendum, according to data obtained by the BBC.
In 2017 a total of 13,141 UK citizens obtained the nationality of one of the 18 member states from which the BBC has received figures.
Read full article Surge in Britons getting another EU nationality
Revealed: Letter that stopped Jeremy Thorpe giving evidence
- 23 April 2018
- From the section UK Politics
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Getty Images
It was dubbed "the trial of the century" - a dashing, charismatic political leader accused of conspiring to murder his former gay lover in a bizarre, ill-fated plot.
But why did Jeremy Thorpe - leader of the Liberal Party and pillar of the Establishment - not go into the witness box to defend himself from charges he vehemently denied?
Read full article Revealed: Letter that stopped Jeremy Thorpe giving evidence
Why officials in Labour government pushed 'dash for diesel'
- 16 November 2017
- From the section UK Politics
As Chancellor Philip Hammond considers tougher budget measures on diesel cars, documents obtained by the BBC reveal how the "dash for diesel" was encouraged by presentational considerations.
The shift to promoting diesel vehicles under the last Labour government can be seen as a textbook example of the law of unintended consequences.
Read full article Why officials in Labour government pushed 'dash for diesel'
