Routine use of council gagging orders ‘leaves Britain open to corruption’ – The Independent

‘The UK has left itself open to corruption at the heart of local government, transparency campaigners warned, after it emerged that council workers have been routinely issued with gagging orders when they left public service.’

Full story

The Independent, 3rd April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Trainee Doctors and Whistleblowing – Littleton Chambers

Posted March 22nd, 2016 in appeals, doctors, employment tribunals, news, whistleblowers by sally

‘In the judgment of the EAT in Day-v-Health Education England & Ors [2016] UKEAT/0250/15/RN it has been held that doctors in training do not possess the requisite relationship to allow them to bring a whistleblowing claim against Health Education England (their training organiser)’

Full story

Littleton Chambers, 9th March 2016

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Whistleblowers let down by government, say MPs – The Guardian

Posted March 11th, 2016 in civil servants, news, select committees, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Public accounts committee says Cabinet Office has shown a lack of urgency in strengthening laws to protect public servants.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Serious failings’ at BBC let Jimmy Savile abuse 72 people – The Guardian

Posted February 25th, 2016 in BBC, inquiries, media, news, reports, sexual grooming, sexual offences, whistleblowers by sally

‘”Serious failings” at the BBC allowed Jimmy Savile to sexually abuse 72 people without detection for decades, according to a damning report published on Thursday, which insisted that the corporation still had lessons to learn.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Public inquiry to scrutinise claims that police covertly monitored politicians – The Guardian

Posted February 19th, 2016 in inquiries, intelligence services, news, parliament, police, spying, whistleblowers by sally

‘The question of whether police spied on elected politicians could turn out to be one of the major issues that will be examined by the public inquiry into undercover policing.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dismissed NHS whistleblower who exposed safety concerns handed £1.22m – The Guardian

Posted February 5th, 2016 in damages, health & safety, hospitals, news, unfair dismissal, whistleblowers by tracey

‘An NHS whistleblower who was unfairly sacked after exposing concerns about patient safety has been awarded £1.22m in damages by a hospital trust.’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblower judge: austerity policies have made courts dangerous – The Guardian

‘A district judge who is suing the Ministry of Justice after whistleblowing her complaints about courtroom dangers – death threats, violent claimants and hostage-taking – has spoken out for the first time about her experience of an under-resourced justice system.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

David Miranda in fresh challenge over Heathrow detention – The Guardian

‘David Miranda, the partner of the former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, has launched a fresh appeal challenging the legality of his detention under counter-terrorism powers for nine hours at Heathrow airport in 2013.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Collapse of Olympus fraud case fuels calls for UK law reforms – The Independent

Posted November 11th, 2015 in accounts, auditors, fraud, news, prosecutions, whistleblowers by sally

‘Legal experts have called for an overhaul of UK corporate laws to hold companies to account after the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) dropped its prosecution of Japanese optical giant Olympus Corporation.’

Full story

The Independent, 11th November 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inquiry to examine claims police spied on Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Livingstone – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2015 in inquiries, news, police, spying, whistleblowers by tracey

‘A public inquiry is to scrutinise allegations that police covertly monitored Labour MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Livingstone in the 1990s.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How Interesting? The public interest disclosure requirement of s.43B(1) of the Employment Rights Act – No. 5 Chambers

Posted July 27th, 2015 in disclosure, employment, news, public interest, whistleblowers by sally

‘Not everything that may be interesting to the public is likely to be ‘in the public interest’. But is that a commonly held or understood view? Does the retention of a subjective test in s.43B(1) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (detriment due to the making of a ‘public interest’ disclosure) mean that the purpose of the 2013 amendment to that section will not always achieve the intended aim?’
Full story

No. 5 Chambers, 30th July 2015

Source: www.no5.com

High court to rule on MPs’ claim that data retention act damages privacy – The Guardian

‘High court judges will give their decision on Friday on an accusation that the government has imposed laws which allow the police and security services to “spy on citizens” without proper safeguards.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Immunity guaranteed for whistleblowers in child sex abuse inquiry – Attorney General’s Office

‘Individuals providing certain evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse can do so without fear of prosecution.’

Full press release

Attorney General’s Office, 9th July 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

MPs call for guidance on prosecuting UK spies over US drone strikes – The Guardian

Posted July 8th, 2015 in intelligence services, media, news, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘A group of MPs is urging the director of public prosecutions to publish guidance for police and prosecutors on how to handle allegations that British spies shared intelligence that led to covert US drone strikes.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sharpe v Bishop of Worcester (in his corporate capacity) – WLR Daily

Sharpe v Bishop of Worcester (in his corporate capacity) [2015] EWCA Civ 399; [2015] WLR (D) 196

‘In determining the question of whether a person was a “worker” within the meaning of section 43K(1)(a) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the words “terms on which he is or was engaged to do the work” required the person to have a contract with the person of whom he was said to be a “worker”.’

WLR Daily, 30th April 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

UK intelligence tribunal to rule on surveillance case – The Guardian

‘A tribunal that hears complaints against the UK intelligence services is due to rule in a major state surveillance case on the confidentiality of conversations between lawyers and their clients.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblowing ‘public interest’ test can cover internal matters in some circumstances, says UK’s EAT – OUT-LAW.com

‘Matters covered by someone who ‘blows the whistle’ on suspected bad practices at their employer need not necessarily be “of interest to the public” to benefit from stricter rules governing whistleblower protection, the UK’s Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th April 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Nurses who don’t report poor care or who cover up mistakes now face being struck off – The Independent

Posted April 1st, 2015 in codes of practice, hospitals, news, nurses, standards, whistleblowers by sally

‘Nurses could be struck off if they fail to escalate concerns about poor care or hide the truth about mistakes, under new rules unveiled by the profession’s governing body.’

Full story

The Independent, 31st March 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

FCA focus on personal accountability driving increase in financial firm whistleblowing, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 31st, 2015 in financial regulation, news, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘A significant increase in the number of whistleblowing cases opened by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the course of the last year shows that the regulator’s increased focus on personal accountability is changing employee behaviour in the financial services industry, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th March 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Home secretary: Cyril Smith cover-up claims ‘could lead to prosecutions’ – The Guardian

‘Theresa May has said the claims a police investigation into the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith was scrapped, and corruption blocked other historic police operations into child abuse, were “shocking and could lead to criminal prosecutions”.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk