Context
The ICO has published its Annual Report 2025/26, in which it confirms that John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, resigned from his role on 19 June 2026. The resignation is ahead of the transition from the Information Commissioner’s Office to the Information Commission. Edwards voluntarily stepped back from his duties on 26 February 2026 to enable an independent workplace investigation which related to him. On 10 June 2026, the ICO confirmed that the investigation concluded that there was a case to answer and made clear that his behaviour fell short of the conduct expected from a public official.
Key points to note and next actions
- The Report sets out the results of what the ICO expects to be the last full year of the ICO. One outcome of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA) is that the regulator will cease to be a corporation sole and will become a statutory board.
- The Report sets out the ICO’s purpose, strategic enduring objectives, values and causes, and reports on the progress made in relation to its enduring strategic objectives.
- The performance overview reviews the ICO’s work across 2025/26., sets out the ICO’s key achievements, and examines of some of the ICO’s most impactful work.
- The accountability report includes declarations about corporate governance, remuneration and staffing, parliamentary accountability and audit reporting.
- The financial statementsset out the ICO’s financial position, including the statement of comprehensive net expenditure, statement of financial position, statement of cash flows, statement of changes in taxpayers’ equity, and explanatory notes.