2. Whistleblowing law — a summary

This Chapter summarises the basic framework of whistleblowing law in the UK. Other Chapters provide more detailed information about each aspect of this framework. The final Chapter looks at the EU Directive on Whistleblowing and at proposals to reform the law in the UK.

“Whistleblowing” is the term used when a worker passes on information about wrongdoing at work. It is not a legal term. There is no statutory definition of “whistleblowing” or “whistleblower”. Global non-governmental organisation Transparency International defines whistleblowing as “the disclosure of information about a perceived wrongdoing (or about the risk of such wrongdoing) in a public or private sector organisation to individuals or entities believed to be able to effect action”.