Whistleblowing Effectiveness Review
Written by Amanda Paterson
On 14 July 2025, the Department for Business and Trade published findings of an independent review into the “effectiveness of the whistleblowing legal framework in Great Britain".
The review invited evidence and insight from stakeholders in order to gauge how well the current system supports reporting and protects individuals who “blow the whistle”.
The research did not reach a formal conclusion regarding the effectiveness of the framework, but it did, of note, set out the following criticisms of the current whistleblowing regime:
Low Success Rates
Only around 4% of whistleblowing claims succeed in Employment Tribunals, while legal costs for claimants can reach into the tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. This was feared could deter potential disclosures.
Narrow Scope & Strict Requirements
The framework is criticised as too narrow, with whistleblowers required to meet strict thresholds such as proving disclosures are in the public interest and adhering rigidly to procedural rules.
Lack of Early Protection & Weak Deterrents for Employers
There are insufficient early-stage protections against retaliation, and few penalties in place for employers who do retaliate, contributing to an environment that is believed to discourage whistleblowing.
For further information on the whistleblowing legal framework, please get in touch with one of our employment law specialists.
Separately, if you wish to find out more information on the Government’s planned proposals on whistleblowing under the Employment Rights Bill, we will cover this in our upcoming seminar.