A bill moving through the U.K. Parliament to establish an independent Office of the Whistleblower is a welcome step but doesn’t go far enough to protect those who report wrongdoing, McGuireWoods London partner Francesca Titus wrote in a July 9, 2025, article in The Times.
Titus said that the need for reform is obvious, as whistleblowers frequently suffer loss of livelihood, reputational damage and targeted attacks. The bill establishes a criminal offense for harming whistleblowers, but the proposed penalties are insufficient considering the risks whistleblowers face, Titus wrote.
“The obvious missing element from the bill is a financial incentive scheme, which evidence from other jurisdictions shows increases the effectiveness of economic crime investigations and is being called for by law enforcement,” Titus wrote.