London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 13, 2025

How corrupt is Britain and will the government do anything about it?

How corrupt is Britain and will the government do anything about it?

'Are democratic governance, the rule of law and our human rights under threat from practices which have institutionalised corruption in the UK?'
This week, the UK House of Lords debated the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions Regulations 2021. The legislation has established a sanctions regime for combatting ‘serious corruption’. While any initiative to combat corruption is welcome news, the law isn’t what it seems.

The parliamentary debate was often framed by the minister and others around the narrative that Johnny Foreigner is corrupt and a threat to our values and global stability. The Minister said that 22 individuals from six countries have been sanctioned. No doubt, there are corrupt persons all around the world, but what about home grown corruption.

‘Serious corruption’ may be associated with bribery, misappropriation of property and much more. It is not defined in legislation, but its understanding is framed by seven policy priorities. One of these is that a practice is considered as ‘serious corruption’ if it ‘undermines a country’s democratic governance, the rule of law and human rights’.

The UK is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that human rights include the right to a standard of living for the health and well-being of people, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. It also includes the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond a person’s control.

We need to ask ourselves, are democratic governance, the rule of law and our human rights under threat from practices which have institutionalised corruption in the UK?

Let us consider some evidence. For example, 83 of the UK’s richest 250 individuals have donated £62m to the Conservative Party. This gives them easy access to policymakers and subverts democratic processes to prioritise their interests. Rich individuals extract tax concessions from the government by sending a text message whilst the poor can’t even afford to buy water.

Rich donors have picked up vast amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts from the government even though some of the PPE was unusable. The High Court said that the government acted unlawfully in failing to publish details of PPE contracts awarded without competitive bids.

The UK is home to global illicit financial flows. Big accounting firms plunder the public purse through tax dodging schemes and deprive millions of decent food, housing, education, healthcare, pensions, security. Many of their schemes have been found to be unlawful by the courts, but they face no sanctions and are permitted by the government to draft tax laws.

I have provided evidence to parliament to show that the Bank of England, the financial regulator and a previous Chancellor colluded to protect HSBC which told the US regulators that it had engaged in ‘criminal wrongdoing’. This was done without any statement to parliament. A senior law enforcement officer directly informed Prime Minister Theresa May of frauds at major banks and said that the cover-up ‘involves the Treasury and two past Chancellors’. There has been no investigation.

Do the above undermine democratic governance, the rule of law and human rights, and smack of corruption? If so, how will the legislation bring the miscreants to justice? The ministers were directly asked this question by me and Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb. No reply was forthcoming.

The anti-corruption laws may look good on paper, but who is going to enforce them?

The enforcement agencies include the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, the Home Office, National Crime Agency, HMRC, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and many others. The regulators have a poor record in tackling economic crime.

For example, the FCA is yet to secure a criminal conviction. There have been no corporate prosecutions under the Criminal Finances Act 2017. The CPS has prosecuted one organisation under the Bribery Act 2010 and the SFO made six Deferred Prosecution Agreements.

The City of London Police is now funded by Lloyds Bank, a bank implicated in fraud failings. So how independent will the police be?

The involvement of numerous regulators is a recipe for duplication, buck-passing and failure.

The corruption legislation is being enacted without any reform of the formation of companies and accountability of their ultimate beneficiaries. Shell companies routinely front corrupt practices, and anyone from anywhere in the world can register a company in the UK without any authentication of their identity.

Their directors can be natural and/or legal persons. This has enabled convicted criminals to even register banks and file false information. It is hard to see how this relaxed approach can combat domestic and/or global corruption.

The UK government has sought plaudits for its anti-corruption fight, but the law fails to tackle many aspects of corruption. Professionals continue to plunder the public purse. The poorly resourced regulators will continue to fail to tackle domestic and global corruption.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
×