Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Date 10 January 2025
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) seeking a copy of a text message Boris Johnson sent to David Cameron about his (Mr Johnson’s) visit to Venezuela in 2024. The FCDO initially withheld the text message on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) (international relations) of FOIA. It subsequently disclosed the message with one part redacted on the basis of section 27(1)(a). The Commissioner’s decision is that the redacted information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 27(1)(a) of FOIA but that the FCDO breached section 10(1) of FOIA by failing to respond to the request within 20 working days.