Government plans to improve the UK’s corporate governance framework to ensure the UK remains one of the best places to start and grow a business.
LONDON, 21-Mar-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — The government today (Tuesday 20 March) will launch a consultation to improve the UK’s corporate governance framework and ensure the highest standards of behaviour in those who lead and control companies in, or approaching, insolvency.
The vast majority of UK companies are run fairly and responsibly, but a small number of recent corporate governance failures have raised concerns that company directors can unfairly shield themselves from the effects of insolvency and – in the worst cases – profit from business failures while workers and small suppliers lose out.
Following last year’s corporate governance reforms to increase boardroom accountability and transparency of big business, the government will today raise standards even further by setting out proposals to crack down on directors and employers behaving irresponsibly. These include:
These reforms seek to respond in a balanced and proportionate way to help reinforce public trust and confidence in businesses and further strengthen the UK’s business environment which is a key part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, the government’s long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future. They will also help to ensure the UK remains one of the best places to start and grow a business and is an attractive place to invest.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
Britain has a good reputation internationally for being a dependable place to do business, based on required high standards. This framework has been regularly upgraded and in the light of some recent corporate failures I believe the lessons should be learned and applied.
These reforms will give the regulatory authorities much stronger powers to come down hard on abuse and to make irresponsible directors bear the consequences of their actions.
The government will publish the Insolvency and Corporate Governance consultation later today setting out some of these proposals in more detail. It will also seek views on new ways to protect payments to smaller firms in a supply chain which can be hit hardest when large companies become insolvent.
The government is already taking action on this issue by:
This package of reforms follows last year’s corporate governance reformswhich sought to increase boardroom accountability.
The government has already:
In the coming months the government will introduce new laws requiring:
Notes to editors
SOURCE: GOV.UK
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