THE government was accused of a “stitch-up” yesterday after it refused a freedom of information request — asking for details of proposed reforms to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

Ministers announced in July that they had established an “independent, cross-party commission on freedom of information” to consider whether changes were needed in order to protect “policy development.”

However, the commission has faced criticism due to the inclusion of figures such as Jack Straw, who have publicly argued for the restriction of the FOI Act, but no known advocates of freedom of information.