• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Global Whistleblowers

Following Preventable Tragedies, “Support for Whistleblowers Now on the Lips of Every Politician in the U.K.”

Kate ReevesbyKate Reeves
February 7, 2024
in Global Whistleblowers
Reading Time: 4 mins read
UK Whistleblower
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Following a wave of tragedies where whistleblowers were ignored and silenced, British politicians are speaking out about the urgency of passing whistleblower legislation to replace the U.K.’s current whistleblower law: the Public Interest Disclosure Act of 1988 (PIDA). On February 2, a new bill called the Protection for Whistleblowing Bill was read for a second time before Parliament.

The push for the new Whistleblowing Bill has been led by WhistleblowersUK (WBUK) and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Whistleblowing.

“The Whistleblowing Bill will transform whistleblowing in the U.K., making it an offence to retaliate against a whistleblower, fail to act, or to cover up wrongdoing,” explained WBUK in its press release celebrating the advancement of the Whistleblowing Bill. The bill will introduce an Office of the Whistleblower “with statutory powers to issue and enforce fines and penalties against the organizations and individuals responsible.”

Register for National Whistleblower Day

For years, whistleblower advocates have pointed to deficiencies with PIDA as a whistleblower law. The reforms of the Whistleblowing Bill are meant to address these major shortcomings, which advocates argue have been at the root of public tragedies like the Post-Office Scandal and the case of Lucy Letby, a National Health Service Nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies and injuring others.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the Post Office Scandal the “biggest miscarriage of justice in U.K. history.” After faulty computer software calculated that money was missing from post office branches, over 900 sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly prosecuted. Throughout 16 years of litigation by the Post Office, hundreds of innocent employees went to prison and were financially ruined. Some committed suicide.

When whistleblower Richard Roll, who worked for the software company, explained in a BBC Panorama Programme that postmasters’ accounts could be secretly altered, which senior Post Office managers had claimed was impossible, the BBC program staff faced serious threats. Ultimately, thanks to Roll’s disclosure, 555 sub-postmasters successfully took legal action against the Post Office in 2019. However, the damages they won did not compensate for legal fees, and as of January 15, only 95 convictions had been overturned.

“We need look no further than the Post Office Horizon scandal to see how badly whistleblowers are treated and how much public money is wasted persecuting them,” said MP Mary Robinson, Chair of the APPG.

PIDA does not criminalize retaliation against a whistleblower, nor does it criminalize the cover-up of wrongdoing. PIDA also permits protected disclosures to be made to several fragmented entities – from employers to MPs to regulatory agencies – but does not endow any of these entities with an obligation to further investigate the complaint.

Georgina Halford-Hall, WhistleblowersUK CEO, states, “MPs are ‘prescribed persons’ under the law and should have realized that their constituents [sub-postmasters] were whistleblowers. They should have asked searching questions and insisted on an inquiry much sooner.”

The Lucy Letby case likewise has put whistleblowing on the minds of all U.K. citizens. The National Health Service Ombudsman identified that clinicians who repeatedly tried to raise concerns were “prevented from having their issues addressed, were labelled troublemakers and threatened with disciplinary measures.”

The first person to raise an alarm to hospital executives about Letby was Dr. Stephen Brearey. However, his concern was not taken seriously, and Letby killed at least two more babies in the time following his complaint.

The Letby case illuminated the large-scale retaliation against NHS employees who report avoidable patient deaths within the NHS.

“They’ll be dismissed, and they’ll end up in an Employment Tribunal,” said Mary Robinson MP during a BBC Newsnight, as she explained what tends to happen when whistleblowers in the U.K. report concerns to their employer. “An Employment Tribunal is entirely the wrong place to listen to whistleblowing, because they won’t… We’ve heard from some whistleblowers who say that organizations go reason shopping to find a way to get rid of a person who has raised a complaint.”

The Whistleblowing Bill aims to protect whistleblowers by establishing a distinct office obligated to respond to whistleblower complaints and protect whistleblowers’ identities.

“Whistleblowing should not be difficult. Organisations should roll out the red carpet because whistleblowers are the first line of defense against crime, corruption, and coverup,” said Georgina Halford-Hall.

While “it is never simple to properly assess progress,” Halford-Hall is “confident that support for whistleblowers is now on the lips of every politician and that the U.K. is ready to do the right thing.”

Further Reading:

UK on Verge of Establishing Stronger Protections for Whistleblowers

 

Previous Post

Whistleblowers Spur $1 Million False Claims Act Settlement Related to Public Housing Contract

Next Post

Texas Supreme Court Pauses Paxton Deposition, But AG No Longer Contesting Facts in Whistleblower Case

Kate Reeves

Kate Reeves

Kate Reeves is a Public Interest Law Clerk at Kohn, Kohn, & Colapinto. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in May 2023, earning a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service with honors in her major, Culture & Politics. While at Georgetown, Kate conducted extensive research on the efficacy of human rights laws in protecting against environmental injustices associated with green development. Before joining the firm, Kate interned at immigration law firm Mitchell & Serrano as well as several public interest and research organizations.

Next Post
Paxton Whistleblower

Texas Supreme Court Pauses Paxton Deposition, But AG No Longer Contesting Facts in Whistleblower Case

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Advocates Detail Need for SEC Whistleblower Reform

Raytheon Whistleblower Receives $1.5 Million for Alleging Cybersecurity Non-Compliance

Ruling Striking Down Trump Order Targeting Law Firm Seen as Crucial for Whistleblowers

MJH Healthcare Settles Whistleblower Allegations of Postal Rate Fraud for $2 Million

Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Stronger Whistleblower Laws in Australia, Mirroring Polling in US

Four Whistleblowers Receive $1.3 Million for Alleging Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
RSVP to National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
RSVP NOW

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version