Huxley had been battling emphysema after years of heavy smoking, but Clark said he had recently been given a clean bill of health and his death had come as a shock.

BBC: The Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley dies

David Clark, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the bill's sponsoring minister, insists that a draft bill will be published in September.

ECONOMIST: Freedom of information

But whoever gets Mr Clark's job is all too likely to agree to leave the bill out of next year's crowded parliamentary calendar, on the grounds that the issue needs further study.

ECONOMIST: Freedom of information