Rogue insiders and dirty money targeted in corruption crackdown

Corrupt insiders and criminal networks will be brought to justice by a strengthened specialist police unit and tougher safeguards across the public sector, as government unveils a landmark anti-corruption strategy.  

Launching today, the new strategy sets out how the UK will shut out corrupt actors, disrupt dirty money and restore integrity in public life. It targets corrupt networks at home and abroad to strengthen national security while driving growth. 

Action to root out corruption in the UK will step up through a major expansion of the Domestic Corruption Unit (DCU) based in the City of London Police. Backed by £15 million in new funding, specialist officers will take on more investigations and support local forces to detect and disrupt bribery and money laundering networks nationwide – building on probes this year into corrupt actors across local councils, housing and financial services.

The strategy will target professional enablers – the corrupt lawyers, accountants and bankers – who help dirty money flow. By expanding the use of sanctions and scaling up the NCA's capability and coordination, enablers will be hunted down and prosecuted for moving criminal profits. 

It follows an additional £110 million funding annually from the Economic Crime Levy to tackle economic crime, bringing the total to £235 million per year – kickstarting economic growth and creating safer streets by ensuring that the UK is a safe place in which to do business. 

Insiders working in the police, prison service and at the border will be exposed through more robust vetting to ensure those with a history of corruption or serious misconduct cannot move undetected between organisations. Access to the Police National Database and expansion of National Integrity Screening will seek to strengthen this work. 

Enhanced integrity checks will also be rolled out which require new recruits to Border Force and Immigration Enforcement to disclose previous convictions. From early next year, people linked to criminality in a former role will be blocked from jobs at the border, reducing the ability of organised crime groups to infiltrate frontline services to smuggle illegal items. 

The measures form a key part of the government's anti-corruption strategy 2025, containing over one hundred commitments across government and law enforcement to tackle the rising threat of corruption to the UK; bringing corrupt actors to justice, growing the economy and shutting illicit finance out of the country.

Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy said: 

Corruption bleeds countries dry, fuels conflict like Putin's brutal war in Ukraine, and spreads across borders like a stain.  

We will lead internationally, bringing partners together to close the gaps exploited by kleptocrats and organised criminals.  

Closer to home, we are boosting enforcement, rooting out the minority of corrupt actors in our public forces and reforming our courts to tackle complex economic crime. Our message is clear: the United Kingdom will not tolerate corruption – now or ever.

Security Minister, Dan Jarvis said:  

Corruption threatens our national security, undermines legitimate business and steals money from working people's pockets.   

Our landmark strategy will take on the rogue actors and insiders who often exploit their positions of power and manipulate the public purse for personal gain.  

We will ensure the UK is a world leader in the fight against corruption, by ramping up policing efforts and introducing stronger safeguards to stop criminals infiltrating our institutions.

The strategy follows figures from the National Crime Agency which estimate over £100 billion could be laundered through the UK every year. UK businesses also faced 117,000 bribe offers domestically in the past year, worth over £300 million – undercutting legitimate businesses and taking money out of working people's pockets. 

To combat this, routes to reporting corruption, including whistleblowing, will be reviewed and co-ordinated, making it easier to raise concerns about bribery and corruption. Financial incentives will be on the table to encourage people to report financial misconduct.  

The UK's anti-money laundering supervisory system will be reformed by consolidating supervisory bodies to create more consistent oversight. The new regime will identify corruption and promote fair competition, helping to attract investment and drive growth. 

To reinforce the UK's global leadership in tackling illicit finance, the government will also host a major illicit finance summit next year, bringing together international partners and law enforcement agencies to coordinate action against the criminal networks who use dirty money to fund serious organised crime, evade sanctions and undermine democracy. 

The Anti-Corruption Champion, Baroness Hodge, will lead a major review into asset ownership in the UK to track the flow of cash and expose how criminals funnel dirty money into the UK. The review will drive greater coordination between government and law enforcement to boost transparency and shut the door to illicit finance.  

Anti-Corruption Champion, Baroness Hodge said:  

Tackling corruption in all its guises is vital for Britain to be a trusted and fair jurisdiction able to pursue sustained economic growth. 

This strategy will toughen the UK's defences against dirty money and better equip us to go after those profiting from corruption and criminality. Our job now is to get on and implement it.

City of London Police Commissioner, Pete O'Doherty said: 

The human impact and consequence of corruption is significant. Corruption and economic security are intrinsically linked, and tackling it is difficult, but failing to do so undermines resilience and threatens long-term stability. 

Corruption is a hidden crime that impacts all of us and undermines the very essence of British and policing values. 

The collaborative approach of the anti-corruption strategy and development of the Domestic Corruption Unit represents a significant opportunity for us to work together to tackle this harmful crime.

The Domestic Corruption Unit is committed to working with public and private sectors to pursue and disrupt those that seek to do us harm.

Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Nick Ephgrave QPM, said:   

Corruption undermines our economy, our security and ultimately damages lives. Through our commitments to increase the speed of our investigations, to work ever more closely with international partners and to strengthen incentives for self-reporting, the SFO is determined to make the UK a hostile environment for corrupt practices.  

I have been clear and consistent in championing the use of incentivisation to encourage whistle blowers to identify corruption and, with their insight and knowledge, transform economic crime investigations. I am therefore delighted to acknowledge the government's commitment to considering this.

This strategy builds on commitments to restore public trust in the integrity of institutions, including establishing an ethics and integrity commission to ensure the highest ethical standards and increasing safeguards to protect political financing from exploitation. 

It targets corrupt actors and their funds, tackles vulnerabilities to corruption across UK institutions, and deepens our international partnerships to build global resilience to corruption. It will be launched at Mansion House today, and its delivery will be overseen by the Home Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and HM Treasury.