Whistleblowing Claims
Leigh Day represents individuals raising concerns about serious wrongdoing and those considering blowing the whistle on corruption or economic crime.
Speaking up about wrongdoing at work can be daunting. Many whistleblowers face unfair treatment, redundancy, blacklisting and significant emotional strain. At Leigh Day, we stand firmly on your side. We act for individuals who challenge unethical or illegal practices – whether in the UK or internationally - and fight to protect your rights, reputation, and future.
What is whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is when a worker or employee discloses information which they reasonably believe shows that wrongdoing has been committed, is being committed, or is likely to occur. The disclosure must be in the public interest, meaning it affects others beyond the individual making the report.
Examples of wrongdoing include:
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Criminal offences such as bribery or fraud
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Failure to comply with legal obligations
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Risks to health and safety
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Unlawful environmental damage or risk of damage
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Attempts to cover up any of the above
Why choose Leigh Day?
We are a top-ranked UK employment law firm and recognised leaders in whistleblowing cases. Our team has secured landmark rulings and achieved justice for clients across sectors including finance, legal services, charities, and the public sector. As a claimant-only firm, we never act for corporations – our sole focus is protecting individuals who speak out.
International expertise – taking on complex cases worldwide
We are committed to tackling challenging legal issues across borders. In 2020, our international whistleblowing team set a ground-breaking precedent, extending vital protections to overseas workers excluded from UK whistleblowing legislation. Our lawyers have extensive experience representing professionals in sectors such as finance, professional services, mining, the military, and shipping, who have suffered serious repercussions after being embroiled in unethical or unlawful practices overseas. You can see an example of how we hold institutions to account here.
Leigh Day’s international whistleblowing team also welcome enquiries from individuals considering a disclosure to HMRC under the newly announced Whistleblower Reward Scheme. As a claimant-only firm, we act solely for the individuals speaking up, never for the corporations being investigated.
What the directories, our clients and barristers say:
- "Leigh Day have an incredible dedication to their work and care deeply for their clients" - Chambers & Partners 2025
- Paul Dowling is “incredibly dedicated” and shows “excellent client handling skills”. “He sees the big picture. Although he has a great grasp of the detail he is not stuck in the detail. He stands back and thinks strategically about how to improve the client’s position...In short, I cannot recommend him enough” – KC
- “Annie Powell is a powerhouse and is entirely focused on getting a good outcome for her clients. She has a great combination of strategy and tactical thinking and applies this to her excellent, expert knowledge of equality and employment law. Annie also has a wonderful personality and is easy to work with. Having Annie by my side has been life-changing.” -Legal 500 2026
- “Rebekah Read is highly intelligent and intellectual, yet equally approachable. Her key strengths are: a fearless approach to use the law to protect some of the most vulnerable in our society, creative in her approach, determined in outcome, and extremely personable” - Legal 500 2026
- “Five stars is not enough to properly review the service offered, by Leila Moran from Leigh Day. Leila has been professional, attentive and is extremely knowledgeable.” - Client
Leigh Day are the best solicitors in the UK and we speak from experience… They set the standard of legal representation so high and yet somehow still manage to continually exceed our expectations.
Legal 500, 2025
HMRC whistleblowing reward scheme could be 'transformative step' in tackling tax fraud, says Leigh Day
Plans for an HMRC whistleblower reward scheme could be a 'transformative step' in tackling tax avoidance by large corporations, says law firm Leigh Day.
Whistleblower who exposed corrupt payments of millions of pounds to Saudi officials by British defence company takes legal action over his treatment since bringing the scandal to light
A whistleblower who raised concerns that corrupt payments totalling many millions of pounds were being regularly paid to high-ranking Saudi officials to secure a huge defence deal for British defence company GPT Special Projects Management Limited (GPT) is taking legal action over his treatment since he went public with the expose.
Our team
Daniel Leader
Partner
International human rights, business human rights and corporate accountability lawyer
Rebekah Read
Senior associate solicitor
Rebekah Read is a senior associate solicitor in the international department.
There are several ways to cover legal fees, many of which do not require a significant upfront payment. We understand how important this is, given the financial uncertainty many whistleblowers face. Not all funding options are available in every case, but we will discuss the possibilities with you if your situation is one we can assist with.
Find out more about funding options here.
If you need advice or want to discuss your situation confidentially, contact us here.
Under UK employment law, workers are protected from suffering detriment or poor treatment by their employer – such as demotion, unfair performance management, or dismissal – because they have blown the whistle. These protections come from the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). If your employer’s actions were motivated by your whistleblowing, you may have a claim.
Leigh Day can assist individuals in bringing claims in the Employment Tribunal under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), seeking compensation for harm caused by their employer after they raised concerns.
Under the government’s recently announced Whistleblower Reward Scheme, for cases where tax over £1.5 million is recovered, HMRC could reward the whistleblower between 15% and 30% of the additional tax collected. This scheme is modelled on the successful programme in the US. HMRC will consider whether the whistleblower has provided timely, specific information that directly contributed to recovering unpaid tax.
Some whistleblowers are not covered by PIDA, which can make it harder to obtain justice after raising public interest concerns. A common example is overseas workers who blow the whistle and face retaliation from a UK organisation that is not their direct employer - such as a parent company within the corporate group.
Historically, these situations left workers caught between two different legal systems. In 2020, Leigh Day achieved a ground-breaking legal precedent that provides much-needed protection for individuals in these circumstances - and potentially many more.
Our International Whistleblowing Team specialises in high-profile cases that fall outside conventional legal routes. We have experience representing foreign workers bringing claims against UK companies, as well as handling complex situations where PIDA does not offer a remedy. If you fall outside PIDA, contact us for tailored advice.
Utterly unique team of innovative, tenacious, strategic lawyers who are committed and meticulous in everything they do.
Legal 500, 2025