Critics are hitting out at the government as it has been announced that they are considering softening the bribery laws that were introduced as part of the Bribery Act. The Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, has asked businesses to consult on whether the Act is making it difficult for them to conduct their business, after some firms have claimed that the rules make it difficult for UK businesses to be able to export to foreign countries.
Critics have said that, rather than considering softening their stance, the government should be looking for ways to plug loopholes and getting tougher on bribery and fraud. There have also been warnings that softening the law will contradict what the Prime Minister said when visiting South-East Asia in a bid to try and drum up new business for the country.
The UK had come under a lot of external pressure from foreign countries amid claims that the government were not doing enough to prevent corruption and bribery. Following years of criticism, the coalition governments introduce what it said was the toughest anti-bribery act the world had seen. At the time, when the Bill was first introduced, the Confederation of British Industry said that it would restrict economic growth, although the PM defended the Bill at the time.
Lobbyists continued to fight against the new laws, even after it was formally introduced in 2011. They said that because it was so much more stringent than laws around the world, it meant that UK businesses were instantly placed at a disadvantage when compared to the rest of the world. They held up US anti-bribery laws as being an example of what they meant.
Despite these concerns continuing, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that there were a number of loopholes that needed filling, rather than the Bill being softened. Consultation is now likely to begin, and there will be arguments from both sides, so it is unlikely that a decision will be made instantly on whether the Bill needs to be changed or whether the apparent loopholes need to be filled and tightened.
