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Bribery

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 12 January 2026UIN 102688

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protections for whistle blowers reporting concerns on foreign bribery.

Answered by Kate Dearden

Individuals can report foreign bribery through a range of channels, such as the Serious Fraud Office or National Crime Agency, and workers will be protected from retaliation as a whistleblower under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) if certain conditions are met.

The government recognises that the whistleblowing framework in the ERA may not be operating as effectively as it should and recently committed to explore opportunities for reform in the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025.

The government will continue to review its approach to whistleblowing and foreign bribery in line with the recommendations of the OECD Working Group on Bribery.

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