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Official Secrets Act 1939: Difference between revisions

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It was enacted in reaction to the "[[Duncan Sandys#The Duncan Sandys case|Sandys affair]]" in 1938, when [[Duncan Sandys]] MP was threatened with prosecution under section 6 in an attempt to get him to disclose who had given him information about the inadequate state of the air defences around London.
It was enacted in reaction to the "[[Duncan Sandys#The Duncan Sandys case|Sandys affair]]" in 1938, when [[Duncan Sandys]] MP was threatened with prosecution under section 6 in an attempt to get him to disclose who had given him information about the inadequate state of the air defences around London.


The Act was repealed and replaced with [[National Security Act 2023]].
The Act was repealed and replaced with [[National Security Act 2023]].<ref>{{cite news |title=National Security Act Factsheet - Home Office in the media |url=https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/11/national-security-act-factsheet/ |access-date=24 October 2023 |work=homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 11:26, 24 October 2023

Official Secrets Act 1939[1]
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to amend section six of the Official Secrets Act 1920.
Citation2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 121
Dates
Royal assent23 November 1939
Commencement23 November 1939[a]
Other legislation
AmendsOfficial Secrets Act 1920
Repealed byNational Security Act 2023
Relates toOfficial Secrets Act 1911
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Official Secrets Act 1939 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Official Secrets Act 1939[1] (2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 121) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It substitutes a new section 6 into the Official Secrets Act 1920, which limits the scope of that offence to offences under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 (it had formerly applied to all offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911 and to all offences under that Act).

It was enacted in reaction to the "Sandys affair" in 1938, when Duncan Sandys MP was threatened with prosecution under section 6 in an attempt to get him to disclose who had given him information about the inadequate state of the air defences around London.

The Act was repealed and replaced with National Security Act 2023.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This Act came into force on the date on which it received royal assent because no other date was provided: Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793

References

  1. ^ a b This short title was given to this Act by section 2(1) of this Act.
  2. ^ "National Security Act Factsheet - Home Office in the media". homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.