John Edwards has announced his resignation from his position as Information Commissioner following an investigation into unspecified workplace issues that were found to have “a case to answer.”

In his resignation post on LinkedIn, the former privacy regulator said that he sometimes exhibited “poor judgement and made attempts at humour that were inappropriate and caused offence,” giving some insight into what the workplace issues may have been about.

The investigation, which caused Edwards to step back from his position in February 2026, found that there was a case to answer.

“While I have not agreed with how that investigation has been conducted, I accept that my position has become untenable,” Edwards said.

Prior to this decision on 10 June, Edwards was recieving information from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regarding cases and was available if required; since the decision he has not been able to fullfill his role at all.

“From the time the investigation was launched, I have accepted that there have been occasions where I exercised poor judgement and made attempts at humour that were inappropriate and caused offence,” Edwards said.

“It is for this reason that I have decided that it is appropriate that I resign from my position.”

He added: “I do not wish to be a distraction to the ICO’s important work.”

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The Information Commissioner is officially appointed by the Crown on advice of the government and is held to account by the Parliamentary Select Committees.

He will have to formally submit his resignation to the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT). The ICO has yet to make a comment on Edwards’ post.

DSIT told DIGIT: “John Edwards has resigned from the post of Information Commissioner and Chair of the Information Commission with immediate effect. This follows an independent investigation that took place regarding allegations made against him.

“The government expects the highest standards of conduct from all senior leaders in public life. Mr Edwards has acknowledged that his conduct fell below these standards.

“Arrangements are set out in law for the Deputy Commissioners to undertake the functions of the regulator and ensure continuity of leadership.”

Edwards was appointed as Information Commissioner in 2021, taking office in 2022.

“I am proud of the contribution I have made and look forward to continuing to support this important work,” Edwards said.

“I would like to thank colleagues, stakeholders, and supporters for the opportunity to serve in the role of the UK’s Information Commissioner, and I wish the organisation every success in the future.”