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Labour is beginning work on a new freedom commission to make Whitehall less secretive.

Deputy leader Tom Watson and former Daily Mirror editor Roy Greenslade will begin picking members this week, the Sunday People can reveal.

They are likely to include local government figures as well as senior journalists.

Commons leader Chris Grayling wants an overhaul of the Freedom of Information Act because he thinks it too lax.

And changes are also being planned to rules governing the way ministers behave.

But MPs fear the plan is to make the Tories even less accountable than they already are.

(Image: PA)

Mr Watson said: “This is the most secretive government in my lifetime and that needs to change.

“Obviously there are things government cannot make public but there has to be good reason for secrecy.”

Mr Grayling accused journalists of misusing FOI legislation .

He told MPs: “On occasions it is misused by those who use it effectively as a research tool to generate stories for the media.

“That isn’t acceptable.”

The scandal of MPs abusing their expenses would never have been exposed without FOI requests.