Liberal Democrats Commit to Manifesto Whistleblower Protections

Following the commitment of the Liberal Democrats to an independent statutory whistleblower protection authority, Whistleblowers UK calls on all political parties to support the creation of an “effective, lean and hungry” new regulatory system.

Today speaking on behalf of WhistleblowersUK, Georgina Halford-Hall said:

“There is no shortage of evidence of the failure of the UK’s whistleblowing law. Across every sector staff and victims are afraid to speak up and those who do are routinely subjected to horrendous retaliation; the doctors who raised concerns about the murder of babies by Lucy Letby, the post masters who suffered the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, the professionals who raised the alarm about the Rotherham and Rochdale Grooming Gangs, the firefighters and residents who raised the alarm about Grenfell Tower, the people who brought to light the decades long scandal of infected blood in the NHS….

Kevin Hollinrake, the Minister responsible for the Post Office, has committed to release the Post Masters wrongfully convicted but has done nothing to stop the same thing happening again, or to stop babies from dying in maternity units because of similar cultures of silence. By procrastinating and delaying the long overdue whistleblowing framework review, and supporting failed legislation in a system that places people who rightly raise concerns in the position of having to be ‘heroes’ with bottomless pockets to sue their employers, lives are being put at risk.

In stark contrast to this, we are over the moon to see the commitment to the creation of an independent Office of the Whistleblower in the Liberal Democrat manifesto today. We will continue to call on all major political parties to show the same commitment.

Whistleblowing is about British values: the next British government must be on the side of those who stand up to wrongdoing.”

Lee Castleton – former Postmaster said:

“Whistleblowing is essential to the safety of every citizen, and it should be at the front of every manifesto. Whistleblowing is not a political football, it is a cross-party issue. Thanks to WhistleblowersUK for the work that they are doing to make whistleblowing work for us all.”

Baroness Susan Kramer said:

“There have been so many scandals that could have been stopped by simply listening to whistleblowers and acting on their concerns. We simply have to change things.”