Whistleblowing solicitors

If you reported wrongdoing at work and were then dismissed, disciplined, sidelined or bullied, the law protects you. Whistleblowing protection starts on your first day in the job, covers workers as well as employees, and has no cap on compensation. We advise before you raise a concern as well as after, by phone or video across England and Wales, or at our Manchester office.

Key points

• No qualifying period. You are protected from day one.
• Compensation for a whistleblowing dismissal is not capped.
• You must start a tribunal claim within six months less one day, after contacting Acas.
• If you have been dismissed, an application for interim relief must be made within seven days.

What counts as whistleblowing?

The law calls it a protected disclosure, under Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996. You must disclose information which you reasonably believe shows one of the following, and reasonably believe the disclosure is in the public interest.

• A criminal offence.
• A breach of a legal obligation.
• A miscarriage of justice.
• Danger to anyone's health or safety.
• Damage to the environment.
• Sexual harassment, which was added on 6 April 2026.
• The deliberate covering up of any of these.

You do not have to be right. You need a reasonable belief. A complaint that is only about your own contract is not usually in the public interest, though one that affects a group of colleagues can be.

Who should I report to?

A disclosure to your employer is the safest route and is protected on the tests above. A disclosure to a prescribed person, such as a regulator, is protected if you also reasonably believe the information is substantially true and falls within that regulator's remit. Going to the press or social media is protected only in limited circumstances, so take advice first.

How the law protects you

• Dismissal. If the main reason for your dismissal is that you blew the whistle, it is automatically unfair under section 103A. The same applies if you are selected for redundancy for that reason.
• Detriment. You must not be subjected to any detriment, such as demotion, exclusion, a bad reference or bullying, because you made a disclosure (section 47B). Colleagues can be personally liable as well as the employer.
• Gagging clauses. A term in a contract or settlement agreement that tries to stop you making a protected disclosure is void.

Compensation and interim relief

A tribunal can award your lost earnings without a cap, and in a detriment claim an award for injury to feelings. If it finds a disclosure was not made in good faith it can reduce the award by up to 25%.

Interim relief is an order that your employer keeps paying you until the full hearing. The application must reach the tribunal within seven days of your dismissal, and you must show the claim is likely to succeed. If you have just been dismissed, contact us that day.

How we work

1. Before you speak up, we help you put the concern in writing so that it clearly counts as a protected disclosure.
2. If you are treated badly afterwards, we raise it with your employer and use the grievance process where that helps.
3. If you are dismissed, we consider interim relief at once, then Acas conciliation and the tribunal claim.

What it costs

We assess your case first and agree how you will pay, and what it will cost, before any work starts. A first consultation is £100 for half an hour or £180 for an hour. Typical costs for a tribunal claim are on our fees page.

Questions people ask

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