Department for Business and Trade

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is reshaping its overseas footprint to maximise UK economic growth in line with the Trade, Industrial and Small Business Strategies. Our future network will focus on priority markets and growth driving sectors across DBT objectives in trade policy, inward investment, tackling market access barriers, and supporting UK exporters.

DBT staff overseas work flexibly across trade (trade policy, market access barriers and export promotion), inward investment, economic security and wider HMG objectives. As a result, we do not hold export promotion specific resources allocated separately by country or market. The total DBT overseas resource for the markets in questions will be roughly 470 FTE at the end of March 2026 reducing to a forecast roughly 420 FTE by March 2029. There are no forecasts beyond this point.

We deploy our domestic trade resources flexibly, with delivery aligned to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) geographic regions. As of January 2026, DBT has 1,396 FTE working on trade domestically (Trade Group and Economic Security and Trade Relations resource) reducing to 1,140 by March 2029.

Planned headcount reductions in domestic staff over the Spending Review period will be managed through rigorous prioritisation; they do not translate into fixed, market-specific staffing levels.

The third statutory review covering the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2025 is in progress and the government’s report will be published as soon as practicable. My officials are currently analysing the evidence collected from last year’s call for evidence and from other publicly available sources. Stakeholder responses to the call for evidence have greatly assisted my officials in identifying emerging themes and are further informing the review’s content. I am grateful for the helpful input provided by stakeholders and will continue to engage with them in taking forward the conclusions to the review.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live investigation.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live investigation.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live investigation.

It would not be appropriate to comment on a live investigation.

This Government has not made an assessment of the British Franchise Association's effectiveness at enforcing its Code of Ethics. However, DBT Ministers and officials have recently met with MPs and Fairer Franchisees representatives to listen and understand views regarding practices within the franchising industry. We will continue to remain engaged with relevant stakeholders on this issue.

The only British Business Bank programme that relates specifically to the green economy is the green variant of the Growth Guarantee Scheme. This was announced on 11 February 2025 with an initial £30 million portfolio. This pilot programme is funded from the Growth Guarantee Scheme budget and does not represent additional expenditure.

The Bank does not operate any standalone programmes or business lines designated or promoted as relating to net zero, decarbonisation, sustainability or the green economy. The Bank considers sustainability and decarbonisation as cross-cutting themes across its activities and there were no separate budgets allocated to such themes in either of the years mentioned.

Backing women-led businesses across the regions is a priority for this government. To tackle access to finance, the government-backed Invest in Women Taskforce has secured commitments of £635 million to be invested in women-led businesses across the UK. The British Business Bank has delivered over 118,000 loans totalling more than £1.1 billion through its Start Up Loans programme, with 40% going to female founders.

UK Export Finance launched its new Female Founder Accelerator in January 2026 in partnership with Lifted Ventures. This will include workshops, mentoring and coaching to equip female founders with the support to scale internationally with confidence.

The British Business Bank's Angel Co-Fund programme already invests alongside syndicates of Business Angels. Every £1 invested by the Angel Co-Fund has leveraged around £5 from Angel syndicates.

The Bank is also expanding its Angel Syndicate Programme to support diverse Angel networks. The programme's pilot engaged 185 new Angel investors, of whom 176 were female and 9 were male. Since launch of this pilot programme in 2023, the Bank has completed 29 investment deals worth £18.4 million.

The Department for Business and Trade tracks year-on-year venture capital and angel investment in women-led businesses through its Investing in Women Code, a partnership between government, trade associations in the finance sector, and their members. Starting with 12 signatories in 2019, the Investing in Women Code now has over 300 finance providers signed up, including most major UK banks and Venture Capital funds.

Signatories to the Code report gender-disaggregated data on an annual basis for publication. Investing in Women Code reports demonstrate that Code signatories perform significantly better than the market average as regards investment in female founders.

The steel strategy, to be published in early 2026, will set out a long-term vision for a competitive, decarbonised sector, with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure UK steelmaking.

We’re providing up to £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector, delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund. This is in addition to the £500m we have invested in the transformation of Port Talbot. We have also taken direct action to protect steel production at British Steel and provided a £400 million increase to the investment at Sheffield Forgemasters.

In addition, we have cut electricity costs for steelmakers, changed procurement guidance so UK steel is considered for more public projects, and are working to protect our industry from unfair competition.

A successful steel industry is critical to a vibrant and secure economy. The UK is taking action on industrial decarbonisation to meet net zero, but we recognise that imports into the UK will often not be subject to the same standards, creating a risk of carbon leakage. That is why the UK has committed to introduce a UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from 1 January 2027. The CBAM will ensure that highly traded, carbon-intensive goods from sectors in scope (including the steel sector) that are imported into the UK, face a comparable carbon price to those produced domestically. This will support UK decarbonisation efforts to lead to a true reduction in global emissions rather than simply displacing carbon emissions overseas, and give industry confidence to invest in the UK knowing their decarbonisation efforts will not be undermined.

Arm's-length bodies sponsored by the Department have not incurred additional costs as a result of Net Zero or sustainability requirements applied to procurement contracts over £10,000 in 2024-25.

The Department has no programmes aimed specifically at reducing official travel emissions and therefore has incurred no costs of proposals, programmes or initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions.

This Government has not made an assessment of the British Franchise Association's effectiveness at enforcing its Code of Conduct. However, DBT Ministers and officials have recently met with MPs and Fairer Franchisees representatives to listen and understand views regarding practices within the franchising industry. We will continue to remain engaged with relevant stakeholders on this issue.

We continue to work with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel. This will include provision for a compensation scheme upon the end of the intervention under the Act, should there be a claim that the intervention caused loss.

Adoption of Artificial Intelligence can unlock significant productivity gains. It is important for government to work in partnership with industry, including financial services firms, to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with this.

The Department for Business and Trade created the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce and are leading a series of roundtables to tackle barriers SMEs face when adopting digital technologies. Members include Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Mastercard and Visa.

Innovate UK’s Next Generation Professional and Financial Services programme supports digital innovation and adoption across financial services. Within this, the Future Finance strand accelerates uptake by providing targeted support to Financial Services firms.

The Government will always abide by our legal obligations and offer fair treatment to all businesses. This includes meeting our responsibilities under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act.

We are currently in close discussions with the owner of British Steel to agree a pragmatic and commercial solution to the current situation. We do not comment on the content of these live discussions.

The Online Safety Act gives platforms strong duties to prevent illegal activity on their services where the content amounts to a criminal offence, including advertising or selling illegal goods. Platforms must assess the risks of illegal content appearing on their services and put in place systems and processes to address it.

Alongside this, the Government’s Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 provides powers to tackle the sale of unsafe goods and ensure that supply chain actors have appropriate responsibilities in relation to products. We will consult on new requirements to promote consumer safety and fair business competition in early 2026.

Four.

I attended a Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) ministerial meeting in Melbourne in November and a more recent virtual meeting, at which we discussed the progress made by Costa Rica to join the agreement. I have also spoken about this with several of my counterparts in bilateral meetings.

The UK looks forward to Costa Rica’s Accession Working Group concluding soon and continuing the expansion of CPTPP.

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) regularly discuss Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) matters, including trading standards’ market surveillance of PPE. BSIF and OPSS engage through direct dialogue, BSIF’s attendance at OPSS’ business reference panels and other events, and OPSS attendance at BSIF’s PPE Test and Certification Bodies Group meetings.

As required by Regulation 2016/425, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must meet essential health and safety requirements before being placed on the market, including online. The Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 provides the framework to enforce these regulations.

We recognise the challenge of non-compliant products sold online. Government will consult on major reforms to the core product safety legislative framework in early 2026. This will include proposals to modernise and clarify responsibilities of online marketplaces using the powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

Under the umbrella of the Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support including the Business Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

DBT has built strong partnerships in West Yorkshire specifically, including Minister McDougall joining West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin at the recent Made in West Yorkshire Sold to the World event in Bradford.

Neonatal Care Leave and Pay was introduced in April 2025 and as part of its introduction, my department has made strong efforts to raise awareness of the new entitlement to ensure eligible parents can access it. Charities, including Bliss, have supported the department with publicising the entitlement to parents in hospitals and other health settings. The entitlement has already been used by thousands of employees to support them through one of the most challenging times a parent can find themselves in.

Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.

For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.

The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.

Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.

For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.

The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.

Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.

For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.

The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.

Workers in Great Britain – including those in the public sector – are protected from detriment (adverse treatment) and, if they are employees, dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996 if they ‘blow the whistle’ on wrongdoing and certain conditions are met. This is known as making a protected disclosure.

For a worker to receive protection they must reasonably believe that the disclosure is in the public interest and relates to one or more types of wrongdoing listed in the Act. A worker must also make the disclosure through the proper channels, one of which is to a ‘prescribed person’ listed in the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014. Many prescribed persons are regulators, which can investigate and take enforcement action in relation to wrongdoing.

The Government has acknowledged concerns expressed by some parliamentarians and stakeholders that the whistleblowing framework may not be operating as effectively as it should be. That is why it recently committed in the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 to explore opportunities for reform.