WhatDoTheyKnow Suspends MP Rupert Lowe After Flood of FOI Requests

Overview

• WhatDoTheyKnow, a public archive for freedom of information requests, confirmed it banned Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe from its site for misuse.
• The site said the account was used to send general or personal messages to public bodies rather than formal FOI requests.
• News reports said Lowe filed more than 1,000 requests through the platform on topics including DEI hires, alleged grooming gangs, and universal credit for refugees.
• Lowe, who leads the Restore Britain party, called the decision not in the spirit of transparency and said his investigations would continue.
• The platform, which helps people submit and track FOI requests to Whitehall departments and other public bodies, declined to comment further on the suspension.