With more than half a million staff* working in the civil service, making up a significant proportion of the working population, its vital to public accountability that Government departments are getting whistleblowing right – especially as they’re funded through the public purse. A recent report from the National Audit Office (NAO) on whistleblowing in the civil service presented a series of disappointing observations alongside bold recommendations to address gaps in the system. To follow up on the report’s findings officials from the Cabinet Office, HMRC and DWP were called in by the Pub ..read more

The Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer has confirmed he is challenging an order to name the source of his claims that members of the SAS unlawfully killed Afghan civilians between 2010 and 2013.   Lord Justice Sir Charles Haddon-Cave who is chairing the Afghan Inquiry has ordered the MP for Plymouth Moor View to hand over the names of his sources or potentially face jail.   Elizabeth Gardiner, Chief Executive of whistleblowing charity Protect, said: “It is paramount that the identity of these whistleblowers are protected otherwise why would anyone come forward with informa ..read more

With the (very welcome) introduction of the EU Whistleblowing Directive placing minimum standards on employers handling whistleblowers, the market has opened up to organisations offering all-in-one solutions to managing corporate whistleblowing. But do they really work? The latest to join the party are anonymous reporting platforms – allowing whistleblowers to contact an external body, which will package up their concerns as clearly as possible for their employer and without the risk of identification. For UK employers looking to harmonise their processes with their European colleagues thi ..read more

The Sexism In The City report released Friday 08 March, published to coincide with International Women’s Day, quotes extensively from Protect’s research – and calls for stronger protections for whistleblowers in sexual harassment cases. Commenting on the report, Sybille Raphael, Protect’s Legal Director said: “The findings of the Sexism in the City report come as no surprise. We hear everyday from whistleblowers reporting sexual and non-financial misconduct in the workplace whose employers are failing to address their concerns. We submitted evidence for inclusion in the report which shows ..read more

The whistleblowing charity Protect has been recognised as an accredited CPD (Continued Professional Development) provider for four of its instructor led training courses. The charity’s three core training courses: Whistleblowing Essentials, Investigating a Whistleblowing Concern and Preventing Whistleblower Victimisation, plus Financial Services Whistleblower’s Champion have all been awarded “Continuing Professional Development” accreditation. CPD certification certifies that both the content and structure of the sessions have been independently assessed and approved for continuing persona ..read more

Whistleblowing charity, Protect, sees calls rise by almost a quarter year on year.  Legal charity worked on 3047 total cases, up 23% on 2022.  23% of calls come from the charity sector, with 24% from the public and 42% from the private sector.  The top employers were health and social work (30%), education (15%) and financial services (7%)  Three quarters of callers (73%) say they had faced victimisation or felt forced to resign after raising whistleblowing concerns.  In 2023, Protect significantly impacted the lives of thousands of whistleblowers by providing pra ..read more

The largest bank in the United States – JP Morgan – has been fined $18 million for breaching whistleblower protection rules – one of the most significant penalties imposed by the American financial regulator. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported that between March 2020 and July 2023 J.P. Morgan Securities’ clients were asked to sign agreements that prevented them from communicating any potential wrongdoing to the regulator.  As concerns grow in the UK that wealthy corporations are abusing the law to silence their critics, the story offers a timely lead on what the ..read more

2024 has certainly kicked off with an unexpected bang with an outpouring of outrage over the Post Office Horizon scandal. We’ve seen daily revelations and news headlines ever since the story was catapulted into the public consciousness by the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.  It is difficult to believe that no one inside the Post Office, nor inside Fujitsu, suspected that a miscarriage of justice was occurring way before the story came out in the press. What was happening inside those organisations – were whistleblowers coming forward but not listened to or was the culture not ..read more

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