Declassified UK instructed law firm Leigh Day after the ministry’s press office refused to provide a comment on an emerging story that a serving British soldier had been arrested following a protest about the UK’s involvement in Yemen.

The MoD, which initially said it would provide a comment, later questioned the outlet on its “angle” and then told a journalist that it would “no longer deal with your publication”. The MoD provided comment to other media outlets who went on to publish articles on the same story. 

Mike Baker, the MoD’s chief operating officer, has now apologised to Declassified UK and said the press office “was wrong not to provide a comment to Mr Miller of Declassified Media Limited on the story about which he was enquiring”.

Addressing MPs earlier this week, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he was “deeply concerned” about the allegations made by Declassified UK and had appointed Tom Kelly, a former director general of the MoD, to investigate the matter.

Mark Curtis, editor of Declassified, said: “We very much welcome the MoD’s apology and commitment to a review. Declassified UK has quickly become the foremost media organisation revealing the UK’s real role in the world, in contrast to an increasingly sycophantic national press. A vibrant democracy demands that public officials cooperate with journalists acting in the public interest.”

Leigh Day solicitor Tom Short said: “Our client is pleased that the Defence Secretary has taken a firm stand against the actions of those in his department’s press office that we believe were in breach of civil service standards and posed a disturbing threat to impartial press coverage of defence stories.

“It is fundamental to the freedom of the press that every enquiry by journalists should be engaged with frankly and fairly. Our client is hopeful that the Defence Secretary’s call for an independent review may lead to higher standards within the MoD communications team.”