News

Protect Chief Executive Liz Gardiner welcomed almost 100 delegates to the third in our series of webinars to promote campaign Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law which had the focus on duties and standards for employers. The panel: Rav Passi, whistleblower and Protect Trustee Marina Glasgow, Deputy Chief Conciliator, ACAS Sam Bereket, National Lead Intelligence & … Read more

Protect today publishes report, ‘Why we need a legal duty on employers‘ as part of ongoing campaign, ‘Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’ to reform the Public Interest Disclosure Act. The report highlights the key finding from YouGov research that UK workers – 76% – want to see all employers have whistleblowing standards in place and … Read more

Protect continues its series of webinars as part of campaign ‘Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’ and we are lining up a webinar on September 20 (10am-11am) entitled ‘Whistleblowing at work webinar – why the law needs to ask employers to do more’ to discuss and debate the need for a legal duty on employers around whistleblowing. Keep … Read more

Protect bids farewell this month to Legal Adviser, Burcak Dikmen, and Parliamentary Officer, Kyran Kanda, as well as Michael Szlesinger, who leaves after a six-month secondment from law firm Lewis Silkin LLP, and intern Millie Camp, who has supported Protect’s policy work over the summer. Burcak said, “Starting my legal career at Protect as a … Read more

Scandals in the meat industry make fairly frequent news.  Many consumers will recall the horse meat scandal in 2013 which found undeclared horse in beefburgers and lasagne and Mad Cow’s disease in the 1990s.  But today we still hear regular news stories of mislabelling and of out of date meat making its way onto consumer ... Read more

Record numbers of health care workers in the NHS are speaking up to NHS Freedom to Speak Up Guardians – over 20,000 cases in 2020/21 – but more are facing detriment for doing so. There are over 700 Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in NHS Trusts in England supporting healthcare workers to speak up about anything which impacts on their ability ... Read more

Protect is dismayed by the report, ‘Children in the care of Lambeth Council’, published by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The report makes damning findings against the council that it allowed serious abuse against children to take place between the 1960s and 1990s. The report finds that the council operated a “culture of ... Read more

Protect’s latest newsletter is now available to read, featuring news on Jonathan Taylor, blogs, our responses to Government consultations and updates from our Business Support Team and details of upcoming training courses. Read our July newsletter

Protect along with WIN (Whistleblowing International Network) have jointly responded to a government consultation on reforming the Official Secrets Act 1989. Our response states, “We have long held the view that the Official Secrets Act should contain a Public Interest Defence (PID) which is vital to the functioning of a democracy. Whistleblowing is necessary so ... Read more

New government plans to introduce a mandatory duty requiring employers to prevent harassment in the workplace have been welcomed by Protect. This duty will mean that employers must take all reasonable steps to protect employees from sexual and other forms of harassment at work. The government has also announced an intention to reintroduce protection against ... Read more

16 July 2021 Protect is concerned by reports that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have conducted raids of two houses in the South of England in relation to suspected data breaches following a story appearing in the Sun on the 26th June involving former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, breaching ... Read more

We are delighted to announce that on Wednesday 7 July 2021, Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Malenica formally rejected the request by Monaco to extradite UK whistleblower Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor’s Support Group extends its gratitude to the Minister for taking the right decision. The move comes following sustained calls for the past 11 months from ... Read more

Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Malenica has rejected attempts by Monaco to extradite UK whistleblower Jonathan Taylor on baseless criminal charges – and Jonathan Taylor’s Support Group thanks the Minister for doing the right thing.  The move comes following calls from human and civil rights campaigners across Europe – and UK MPs –  for his immediate release and safe ... Read more

Protect are pleased to hear the BMA, the recognised trade union and professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK, has settled its dispute with its member, Dr Chris Day, and now offering him full support – and legal funding in his ongoing legal disputes. Whistleblowing plays an absolutely essential role in the health ... Read more

Protect hosted a second webinar as part of our ongoing campaign, ‘Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’ – discussing why Non-Executive Directors, volunteers, job applicants and the self-employed should be protected by UK whistleblowing law. ‘Whistleblowing in the workplace - the haves and have nots’ welcomed keynote speaker Claire Gilham, District Judge and whistleblower whose landmark ... Read more

Protect is running a new Masterclass: Handling sexual harassment & whistleblowing concerns in the workplace aimed at senior individuals including HR, Compliance, Legal and Audit roles who are responsible for internal arrangements and whistleblowing culture. The session will include an overview of sexual harassment in the workplace and rights and duties in equality law, as ... Read more

On 25th June, Baroness Kramer’s Office of the Whistleblower (OWB) bill received its first full debate in the House of Lords. Protect supports the bill as it offers new and additional support for whistleblowers and you can read our previous comments here. The debate was well attended by members with cross party support in the ... Read more

Protect has been asked to join new whistleblowing research charity Parrhesia – which launched on on World Whistleblower Day – as a policy adviser. Parrhesia is focussed on the practice, protection, and promotion of whistleblowing in the UK by producing research to inform policymakers and practitioners alike. Parrhesia is led by Ian Foxley, the whistleblower … Read more

To mark World Whistleblowers Day – 23 June –  Protect partnered with Linklaters to host a free webinar for employers to highlight the importance of caring for staff who whistleblow, as we all know speaking up is not an easy thing to do. Protect Chief Executive Liz Gardiner welcomed almost 100 delegates from FTSE 100 … Read more

A week is a long time in politics, and six months is even longer. At Protect, we have been busy lobbying MPs and government officials to improve legal protections for whistleblowers as part of our campaign, 'Let's Fix UK Whistleblowing Law'. This is a snapshot of the work we have done over the first half ... Read more

Webinar: 29 June 5-6pm Non-Executive Directors, the self-employed, volunteers and job applicants are not protected by whistleblower protection – is it time to change? Join UK whistleblowing charity Protect in this latest webinar to debate why it is vital these groups who are key players in today’s workforce are protected by whistleblowing legislation. Protect will … Read more

Paul Scully, Minister for BEIS, (Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy) announced in Parliament (June 8) the creation of a single enforcement body to tackle exploitation of workers and abuse of labour rights. The proposed regulator will have responsibility for enforcing rights such as minimum wage, holiday and sick pay, and modern slavery.    Regulators play a ... Read more

A whistleblowing policy drafted for the judicial system has come under criticism for being drawn up in secret, and which will gag judges – not encourage them to speak up over wrongdoing. District Judge Claire Gilham, who won her Supreme Court Case in 2019 to give whistleblowing protection rights for the judiciary, (Protect intervened in … Read more

British whistleblower Jonathan Taylor has lifted the lid once again on corruption involving revenues emanating from the major British oil company BP, as reported in today’s Daily Telegraph. Extradition Fight Jonathan, a UK citizen, is currently fighting extradition to Monaco.  On arrival in Croatia on a family holiday in July 2020, he was initially detained … Read more

Protect has joined 40 legal experts, campaigners, academics and NGOs in  signing an open letter calling for the Croatian Justice Minister, Mr. Ivan Malenica, to halt the extradition of British whistleblower Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan exposed a series of multi-million pound bribes in the oil industry while working for one of Monaco’s major employers – oil … Read more

Protect welcomes  two new Trustees to its Board. Ravinder Passi is a UK qualified solicitor with over 21 years' experience, who has first-hand experience of what it means to be a whistle-blower and fully understands the legal, professional, financial and personal implications of doing the right thing. Whilst working in Japan for over eight years, ... Read more

Creating a more effective whistleblowing or Speak Up culture is a way for the BBC to both restore its reputation and ensure that such a scandal does not happen again. There needs to be recognition from the top of the organisation that whistleblowers should be encouraged to raise concerns, that they will be protected if they do, and that their concerns will be listened to ... Read more

Earlier today the Private Members’ Ballot took place giving  20 MPs the chance to introduce a proposed piece of law, or ‘bill’. This is a fantastic and rare opportunity for backbench MPs to introduce meaningful law that will make a real difference for people. Protect wants its whistleblowing bill (see here) to became law and ... Read more

Protect continues its campaign to free whistleblower Jonathan Taylor who is being held in Croatia and facing extradition to Monaco. Protect along with other human and civil rights campaigners have signed an open letter to Croatia’s Minister of Justice Mr. Ivan Malenica urging him to ‘refuse Monaco’s abusive request to extradite Mr. Taylor to Monaco … Read more

Protect is busy briefing MPs on why UK whistleblowing legislation needs fixing, following the Queen’s Speech, which marks the start of a new Parliamentary session. A new Parliamentary session means there will be a Private Members’ Ballot which this year takes place on May 20. The ballot is an opportunity for backbench MPs to introduce … Read more

This article is a summary of the speech delivered at 'Let's Fix Whistleblowing' launch event on 29th April 2021. To see highlights from the launch click here Today we are surrounded by the most tragic and catastrophic example of the failure to listen to a whistleblower, Dr Li Wenliang, when he said he was concerned ... Read more

Protect’s campaign launched Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’ with a panel debate chaired by Barrister Mukhtair Singh, and NHS whistleblower Dr Chris Day, Dame Margaret Hodge MP, Kevin Hollinrake MP, and attended by more than 100 delegates. Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’, calls on the Government to urgently amend whistleblowing legislation, the Public Interest Disclosure ... Read more

Protect will be renewing its campaign to update the Public Interest Disclosure Act, kicking off its ‘Let's Fix UK Whistleblowing Law’ campaign with an MP debate discussing the importance of whistleblowing from Wuhan to Westminster. Protect Chief Executive, Liz Gardiner, said “We need to fix the UK whistleblowing law which is 23 years-old, and out ... Read more

The National Guardian’s Office leads, trains and supports a network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians providing learning and striving for cultural change on speaking up matters in NHS Trusts in England. The role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians (FTSUGS) and the National Guardian, Dr Henrietta Hughes, were established in 2016 following serious failures ... Read more

Protect has welcomed the decision by professional services firm EY to drop its appeal in the case brought against the firm by whistleblower and former EY partner, Amjad Rihan. The case concerned allegations that EY had covered up the adverse findings of a sustainability audit into the Dubai Gold trade, including evidence of money laundering and ... Read more

Protect will be taking part in the national day of refection and one minute’s silence on March 23 at midday to reflect on the lives lost in the pandemic one year on – and to also thank the many whistleblowers who spoke out on Covid-19 concerns. Chief Executive Liz Gardiner said, “We will join the ... Read more

The long-awaited Sheldon review into child sexual abuse in football makes disturbing reading.  While the abuse is historic, the report is clear that lessons can still be learned.  There are some strong recommendations about safeguarding training from Board level to the young people and their parents, about establishing a child-first culture and about developing greater ... Read more

One rule for one, and one for another is fitting when comparing Parliamentary privilege between Westminster and Holroyd, for as it stands, Scottish MPs are very much unprivileged. This week in Parliament, MP David Davis spoke about the Holyrood inquiry investigating how the Scottish Government handled sexual harassment complaints against former First Minister Alex Salmon.  ... Read more

A new interactive whistleblowing investigation course, looking at best practice handling and how to avoid the common pitfalls, is now available to senior managers responsible for internal arrangements and whistleblowing culture. Protect’s Development Director Jon Cunningham, said, “How an organisation responds to a whistleblower can be critical to ensuring staff trust and confidence in the … Read more

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget, the creation of a new Covid-19 taskforce – the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce – to investigate and sanction fraudulent abuses of Covid-19 relief schemes. Whilst Protect welcomes this response to tackle fraud against taxpayers, we would also like to call on the government to follow whistleblowing best practice, particularly by ensuring whistleblowers who speak out about furlough fraud, do not get penalised.   At the ... Read more