Gordon Brown is poised to befriend journalists across the country following Whitehall whispers that the chancellor will block moves to water down The Freedom of Information Act.
Disclosures obtained by a national paper claim that Mr Brown will oppose Lord Falconer's plans to neuter the legislation, which critics fear will make Whitehall more secretive.
Under the current legislation, departments can refuse requests from journalists and individuals that cost more than £600.
Critics fear proposals tabled by Lord Falconer will result in many requests in the future surpassing this threshold.
But their main concern centres on the proposal to remove parliament from the scope of the Act, and create an exemption for MPs' communications with public authorities.
Amendments could also see the time that officials took to decide whether to honour the request added to the time it took to track down the information, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Speaking on Tuesday night, unnamed Whitehall sources told the paper that Mr Brown views Lord Falconer's plans as unsustainable.
It is understood that the Prime Minister-in-waiting wants the proposals rewritten to ensure MPs will still have to declare full details of their expenses and allowances. Members of the House of Lords are also covered by the tabled exemptions.
If the proposals make it onto the statute books, MPs' correspondence - on any subject - will be exempt from disclosure, regardless of whether it is sent to another minister or public authority.
May 24, 2007
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