LONDON — David Cameron wrongly refused to give the intelligence powers watchdog access to security documents while he was foreign secretary, a new report shows.

Details revealed by the office of the Investigatory Power Commission (IPCO) — which oversees the powers used by Britain’s intelligence and investigatory agencies — show that in July 2024, Cameron refused to allow the watchdog to view top-level information as he believed “the documents fell outside [its] remit.”

The IPCO said this was the first time it had been refused access to a document by “any public authority” and “took this extremely seriously to avoid a disturbing precedent being set,” adding that the incident risked undermining trust in the oversight of the powers of Britain’s intelligence services.

The annual report, published on Tuesday, said the watchdog had been made aware of documents referenced in “section 7 Intelligence Services Act 1994 (ISA) authorisations” — known as “James Bond” licenses, which allow ministers to approve the overseas conduct of intelligence officers that would otherwise be unlawful.

The commissioner, Brian Leveson, “personally reviewed” the matter and concluded that Cameron had “erred in his analysis of relevance and remit.”

The watchdog then submitted a formal request to the new foreign secretary, David Lammy, following the 2024 general election, to review the case under its “powers to compel disclosure of documents.” The documents were handed over in September 2024.

“This episode involved a departure from the highly transparent manner in which the FCDO normally engages with IPCO and we are confident lessons have been learned,” the report said.

“It should serve as a reminder to all public authorities of the importance of absolute transparency in maintaining public trust and confidence when it comes to the oversight of covert powers: it is for IPCO to determine the relevance of documents and we will pursue any instance of non-disclosure using all means available to us.”

The Foreign Office refused to comment when approached by POLITICO. David Cameron and David Lammy were both approached for comment.