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SFO secures £15m Bribery Act settlement with Ultra Electronics over third party failings

The Serious Fraud Office has reached a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Ultra Electronics Holdings Ltd in a major corporate bribery settlement. The case shows how bribery risk can build across agents, intermediaries, joint ventures, overseas public contracts and semi-autonomous business units when commercial pressure is not matched by effective anti-bribery controls. The £10.08m financial penalty, […]

April compliance news round-up

Major laws we’re tracking: UK regulatory update The King’s Speech on 13 May will outline the government’s new legislative agenda, but some new laws have already been announced. The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill is expected to mandate ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for larger (250+) firms. A recently announced Financial Services Bill will […]

What’s new in Astute LXP – April 30th 2026 update (v3.5.1)

Instructor-Led Training is now available This month’s update introduces Instructor-Led Training (ILT), now available to all Astute Premier clients. ILT allows organisations to manage classroom, virtual and hybrid training alongside their existing eLearning, bringing all training into one place within Astute. It replaces the previous Face-to-Face feature with a more flexible and modern approach to […]

What’s changing in SMCR? The FCA’s senior manager reforms and the Financial Services Bill

The Financial Conduct Authority’s Policy Statement PS26/6 confirms the first wave of reforms to the UK’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR). The aim of these Phase 1 reforms is to make SMCR more proportionate while preserving the core principle of individual accountability. SMCR was introduced to embed personal responsibility at senior levels following the […]

Scottish bribery conviction exposes compliance risks in a system without DPAs

A recent conviction at Edinburgh Sheriff Court has provided a clear and detailed example of how bribery offences arise in practice, and how courts assess both individual culpability and organisational controls. The conviction of Stuart Holloway, a former relationship manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland, offers important lessons for compliance teams, particularly in relation […]

China’s new crackdown on supply chain due diligence

China’s latest intervention into supply chain regulation marks a major new risk for multinationals with Chinese exposure in their supply chains. China’s 2026 Regulations on Industrial and Supply Chain Security, effective from the 31 of March 2026, embed a new form of supply chain governance within the country’s national security framework. These rules will restrict […]

IBM’s $17m settlement for unlawful DEI: How to avoid a False Claims Act violation

The US Department of Justice has reached a settlement with IBM after allegations of a False Claims Act violation due to alleged unlawful diversity, equality and inclusion programmes. The case highlights the risk that firms face when engaged in federal contracts with DEI programmes that the administration considers unlawful. The case was brought under the […]

HE/FE risks £500,000 fines for free speech violations from April 2027

The education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 complaints scheme, alongside new regulatory powers for the Office for Students. This means free speech and academic freedom will be better protected at universities and colleges in England.  From April 2027, visiting speakers and academics who believe […]