MPs have had their first opportunity to vote on and debate the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – better known as the Hillsborough Law. Championed by the Hillsborough families and campaigners its being presented as a way to prevent future state cover-ups such as the one they faced after the Hillsborough disaster.
From the start of September 2025, the rules on fraud got tougher. Under the new Failure to Prevent Fraud offence in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), large organisations can now face unlimited fines if they benefit from fraud – even when senior leaders had no direct involvement. The message is clear: ignorance is not a defence and turning a blind eye is no longer an option.
Embedding the Code of Ethics is challenge for any employer. But how can we ensure staff engage with and embody their organisation’s beliefs and values? In this blog we look at one approach that flips ethics on its head and breaks down barriers to Speaking Up.
When Rowaa Ahmar joined the energy giant Drax as Head of Public Affairs & Policy she didn’t expect to end up in the middle of a whistleblower tribunal exposing deep dysfunction within the company. After a BBC documentary exposed the firm’s sustainability claims and environmental credentials Rowaa became increasingly concerned that Drax had misled the public, the government and its regulator Ofgem.
Now concluded with a settlementher, her case has exposed troubling details about the allocation of millions of pounds in government subsidies, as well as serving as a challenging tale of speaking up to powerful executives.
On the afternoon on Monday 15th September the government voted to overturn an amendment in the Employment Rights Bill to strengthen protections for whistleblowers. The amendment – which had been voted in by peers in the House of Lords – would have required the government to broaden unfair dismissal grounds and, for the first time, require large employers to take reasonable steps to investigate whistleblowing concerns.
The long-awaited Public Office (Accountability) “Hillsborough” Bill has been published aimed at ending ‘the culture of cover-ups and hiding the truth, ensuring transparency, accountability, and support for bereaved families’. The closing of ranks and cover ups from people who should be protecting the public formed an all too depressing theme for many disasters including the Grenfell Tower fire, the Infected Blood Scandal and the Post Office/Horizon scandal. However, candour means always telling the truth – not just to coroners and inquiry chairs – and the Bill’s ambitious aims will not be realised if whistleblowers are too afraid to come forward, or if – when they do – their concerns are ignored.
In the UK, financial regulators regularly benefit when whistleblowers pass on information but they rarely step in to protect individuals if their employer penalizes them for speaking up. With the Serious Fraud Office and HMRC now planning to introduce US-style whistleblower reward schemes to compensate people who report corporate crime within their own organisation, for Financial Regulation International’s whistleblowing special issue, we explored what lessons could be learnt from across the pond.
The Icelandic artist ODEE has lost his request to appeal against the fishing company Samherji regarding intellectual property infringement, malicious falsehood and passing off. This is a very disappointing ruling that continues to illustrate the power of big business to squash criticism and debate.
After months of relentless campaigning and lobbying across Parliament this month we struck gold in the House of Lords when peers voted through one of our amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Tabled by Baroness Kramer, the addition to the Bill pushes the Government to broaden unfair dismissal grounds and force employers, of a certain size and turnover, to take reasonable steps to investigate when whistleblowers speak up.
The House of Lords has voted to introduce a new duty to investigate whistleblowing concerns placing an obligation on employers to act when whistleblowers speak up. This would mean organisations with more than 50 staff, or a turnover of more than £10 million, will have to investigate the whistleblowing concerns that are brought to them.
