The UK Government says it is to head the international fight against corruption; and has a plan to do so. A UK Anti-Corruption Plan, which has over 60 actions for Government and others, will the Government says set the strategic direction for all anti-corruption activity over the coming year. The document speaks of greater collaboration and consistency across the public and private sectors.
The plan paints a picture of the threat to the UK from corruption. Its delivery will be overseen and reviewed by an Inter Ministerial Group chaired by Matthew Hancock, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Energy and the government’s Anti-Corruption Champion, and Karen Bradley, Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime.
Hancock said: “All the studies show that corruption is a grave threat to our economic prosperity and national security. As host to one of the world’s largest financial centres, the UK has a moral duty and global responsibility to ensure that corrupt officials and organised criminals do not abuse our systems. We are one of the least corrupt nations on earth, but we want to do more. This new plan will make sure that we spearhead the international fight against corruption. Together with our international partners, we will push for robust action against corruption at every possible opportunity.”
Karen Bradley said: “The UK has far lower levels of corruption and bribery than most other countries around the world but we cannot be complacent. Its impact is hugely disproportionate to the level and frequency at which it occurs and can have a serious impact on public confidence in our institutions. Our comprehensive UK Anti-Corruption Plan, which goes hand in hand with our Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, will bring greater coordination and coherence to existing activity and set a clear course for the future work of government and law enforcement agencies.”
Under the plan, developed as part of the second Open Government Partnership National Action Plan:
the National Crime Agency will establish a specialist unit, including a multi-agency intelligence team, to tackle bribery and corruption;
the Home Office will establish a new offence of police corruption and recently launched a consultation on measures to better protect police whistle-blowers;
the Treasury and Home Office will complete a national risk assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing, and address any issues it highlights through an Anti-Money Laundering Action Plan;
the Department for International Development will develop plans to launch an international ‘rapid response team’ to assist on asset recovery to countries undergoing regime change;
the Cabinet Office will work with civil society groups to improve transparency and open data to reduce opportunities for corruption; and
the Foreign & Commonwealth Office will develop a toolkit of interventions for tackling international corruption cases.
The Government points to the anti-corruption pressure group Transparency International’s most recent annual ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ where the UK is ranked 14th of the 170 countries listed. In a December 2013 report, ‘Closing down the safe havens‘, TI UK reported on stolen funds that are laundered through the UK and that should be identified, frozen, seized and – with proper safeguards – returned to the rightful owners.
And in a ‘anti-corruption score card‘ in September 2013 TI UK said that while corruption is not endemic in the UK, there are significant problems that need to be understood and acted upon:
– Dismantling of key institutional defences against corruption;
– Reluctance to address failures in parliamentary ethics;
– Absence of government coordination on its anti-corruption activity; and
– The UK as a major destination for corrupt financial flows.
Visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-anti-corruption-plan.
