In the UK, whistleblowers are encouraged to report wrongdoing, but often at cost to their livelihoods and careers. One solution would be to pay corporate whistleblowers for coming forward. However, many in government have held the idea for years that doing so is not very “British.” But now, longtime opposition to the idea seems to be shifting. Suzi Ring, the FT’s legal correspondent in London, explains how and why. Plus, we speak with Nick Ephgrave, the director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, who is taking inspiration from his decades spent with London’s Metropolitan Police Service to try to change the system.

Clips from ITV

If you missed part one of this series, listen to it here.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

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For further reading:

Should corporate whistleblowers get paid?

Whistleblowers could earn millions as HMRC targets tax fraud

UK SFO director pushes to pay whistleblowers and use covert tactics

Corporate whistleblowing in the UK needs a shake-up

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Behind the Money host Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Behind the Money, the FT’s senior business writer Andrew Hill interviews author Stephen Witt about his book The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip. Witt and his book won the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year for 2025.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

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For further reading:

In future ‘books could respond’ says winning author Stephen Witt

FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2025 — the shortlist

FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2025 — the longlist

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Follow Andrew Hill on X (@andrewtghill) or on Bluesky (@andrewtghill.ft.com) and Stephen Witt (@stephenwitt) on X. Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, corporate whistleblowers in the UK have found themselves in an unenviable predicament. They’re encouraged to report wrongdoing, but at the same time they often feel like they’ve risked everything: their careers and livelihoods in exchange for little. In this special two-part series, we explore why critics think this system is failing whistleblowers and what the UK can do to change things.

In part one: We hear from two whistleblowers who share why they blew the whistle and what went wrong after. Plus, the FT’s financial regulation editor Martin Arnold and Mary Inman, the attorney who represented well-known whistleblowers such as Frances Haugen of Meta and Tyler Shultz of Theranos, discuss the systemic issues whistleblowers have faced in the UK.

Part two airs next Monday, December 15.

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

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For further reading:

Should corporate whistleblowers get paid?

Whistleblowers could earn millions as HMRC targets tax fraud

Corporate whistleblowing in the UK needs a shake-up

Asset management: inside the scandal that rocked GAM

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Behind the Money host Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.