Information Commission set to launch without a chair

The Government has less than a week to appoint the chair of the UK’s new-look Information Commission, despite  applications closing over six weeks ago to succeed disgraced former commissioner John Edwards.

Edwards, who all but nailed on to take on the chair role as part of a structural shake-up laid out in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, resigned in June; the first time in the regulator’s 42-year history that its boss had quit.

The move came just a week after the ICO said Edwards “had a case to answer” following an independent workplace investigation into an undisclosed incident.

It has since been claimed that concerns about Edwards began at the very start of his tenure in 2022, when he shared a joke that managers considered antisemitic. It also detailed a wider pattern of crude workplace jokes, including casual references to masturbation.

At the time of his resignation, Edwards claimed his actions were simply “poor judgement”.

Meanwhile, despite assurances from the Government and the ICO that they would launch an independent review of the culture, accountability and governance of the ICO, this appears to have been either scrapped or swept under the carpet.

Last week, the Information Commissioner’s Office confirmed it will formally transition to the Information Commission on September 30 2026 and will continue to be known as the ICO.

The transition replaces the previous “corporation sole” model – where statutory powers and final decision-making authority rested entirely with a single individual (the commissioner).

It will now move to a corporate, board-led structure with collective responsibility shared across a chair, chief executive, and executive and non-executive directors.

All existing regulatory functions, powers, investigations, enforcement activities, and responsibilities will carry over. Current data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, remain in place.

The newly appointed board of seven non-executive members, originally revealed in July 2026, will officially take up their positions next week.

If no new chair is appointed, it is understood that CEO and acting commisioner Paul Arnold will assume the role in the interim.

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