news - Protect - Speak up stop harm

Whistleblowers – the lifeblood of democracy

31st August 202116th August 2021 by Alex Allen

Brittany Winner, the sister of intelligence whistleblower Reality Winner, renowned Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and US whistleblowing lawyer, Mary Inman all came together to take part in a webinar hosted by journalist Martin Bright, Editor of the Index on Censorship, an organisation campaigning for freedom of expression to discuss the effect whistleblowers have on ... Read more

National Guardian data shows record number of health workers are speaking up – but more are facing detriment for doing so

29th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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 statement on “Children in the care of Lambeth Council” Investigation Report

29th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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 responds to Government Official Secrets Act reform with calls for a Public Interest Defence

28th July 202126th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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

Consultation Responses and Policy Briefings

1st December 202326th July 2021 by Alex Allen

CONSULTATION RESPONSES AND POLICY BRIEFINGS Consultations are our opportunity to share with Parliament and Government our unparalleled experience of advising 3,000 whistleblowers a year and working with hundreds of employers to improve workplace whistleblowing cultures. We respond to consultations so that we can argue for better laws and public policy to protect whistleblowers and the ... Read more

Protect welcomes new mandatory duty on employers preventing workplace harassment

26th July 202126th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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

Why calling out wrong doing in the security and intelligence community needs reform

26th July 202121st July 2021 by Alex Allen

Last month former intelligence contractor whistleblower Reality Winner was finally released from jail for leaking classified information. But many argue she and Chelsea Manning before her, had very little choice but to knowingly commit a crime by leaking information to the media. Whistleblowers in the security service in the UK and US need greater protections … Read more

Are judges a have, or have not when it comes to whistleblowing protection?

1st September 202121st July 2021 by Alex Allen

District Judge Claire Gilham gave the following presentation as part of our Let’s Fix UK Whistleblowing Law webinar, ‘Whistleblowing in the workplace – the haves & have-nots’ on 29 June “ I am what many people would regard is a bog-standard district judge. District judges are the general practitioner of civil courts. We deal with ... Read more

Will the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) raid damage whistleblowing?

16th July 202116th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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

UK whistleblower Jonathan Taylor finally freed from extradition torment almost one year on

8th July 2021 by Alex Allen

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