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On 14 July 2025, the Department for Business and Trade published an external review on the effectiveness of the whistleblowing framework in Great Britain (Whistleblowing Review). The Whistleblowing Review is available here.
The Whistleblowing Review was commissioned under the previous government to review the effectiveness of the existing laws on whistleblowing, namely the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA), the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (ERRA) and the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, along with the corresponding non-legislative guidance (together, the Existing Framework). To evaluate the effectiveness of the Existing Framework, it was assessed against the original objectives of PIDA, which are as follows:
- to provide a route for workers to make whistleblowing disclosures;
- to protect workers who have made disclosures from detriment and dismissal, and provide a route of redress where this happens; and
- to support wider cultural change, in which the benefits of whistleblowing are recognised and lead to action among employers and others – for example, employers and prescribed persons implementing policies and practices that support whistleblowing.
What were the findings of the Whistleblowing Review?
The Whistleblowing Review, through research, interviews and focus groups, made a number of comprehensive findings, which included the following:
- the definitions in the Existing Framework, such as “reasonable belief“, “public interest” and “whistleblower“, can often be viewed as subjective and inconsistent, which could be a barrier to raising whistleblowing concerns;
- some individuals do not understand the protection under the Existing Framework legislation and many feel victimisation after whistleblowing;
- many employers are not aware of the guidance and processes on whistleblowing and found the guidance unhelpful and confusing;
- whistleblowing can still be subject to stigma and whistleblowers may not be offered adequate support.
What did the Whistleblowing Review recommend?
The Whistleblowing Review made the following high-level suggestions for change:
- clarify, extend and/or limit definitions: (a) related to whistleblowing protection and who may be in scope; and (b) of who is responsible for putting into practice the whistleblowing protections at an organisation;
- clarify, co-ordinate and/or make consistent the process for operating whistleblowing protections;
- clarify, transform and/or make consistent the enforcement process and oversight for whistleblowing; and
- implement more consistent and accessible guidance, information and support for workers, employers and prescribed persons.
What happens next?
The UK Government are likely to publish a response to the Whistleblowing Review, which may set out if there are any recommendations from the Whistleblowing Review that it will seek to implement.
Even though the previous government commissioned the Whistleblowing Review, in Labour’s ‘Plan to Make Work Pay‘ manifesto, it promised that “Labour will strengthen protections for whistleblowers“, and therefore, it may implement some of the Whistleblowing Review’s recommendations. Further, the UK Government has already started to action some of these whistleblowing protections. The Employment Rights Bill, which, at the time of writing is with the House of Lords, contains whistleblowing protections for those that have issued a sexual harassment complaint in the workplace. We will keep you updated as and when there is a response on the Whistleblowing Review from the UK Government. To discuss this further, please contact Hannah Meehan, or another member of the Employment team.