The cost of whistleblowing. Assessing the cost of whistleblowing failures to the public purse (PROTECT, February 2025)

Summary

The cost of whistleblowing is too high. Whistleblowers as individuals can pay a high price in term of their careers, finances, physical and mental health and family lives for speaking out. When the concern itself is not listened to it can lead to immense costs to others: organisations can collapse and lives and livelihoods can be destroyed. There is extensive research documenting these issues, but very little mapping out the financial impact whistleblowing failures can have.  

PROTECT have conducted a research project examining the cost to the taxpayer from whistleblowing failures across three of the UK’s biggest scandals: the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, the Countess of Chester Hospital/Lucy Letby scandal, and the collapse of construction company Carillion. In each case a lack of accountability and a failure to listen to whistleblowers have been officially acknowledged. 

In each case we have calculated the financial impact that has been levied on Central Government – and by default, the taxpayer – including the costs of public inquiries, police investigations, delays to essential building projects and compensation payments.

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