United Kingdom: Corporate Crime

The Crime and Policing Act 2026, which introduces a material expansion in the scope of corporate criminal liability, has come into force, now applying to offences committed on or after 29 June 2026. The Act applies to all bodies corporate, regardless of size and turnover, and so covers, for example, charitable companies and CIOs.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces a universal senior manager attribution test that fundamentally reshapes corporate criminal liability in the UK, creating a "DPA gap" where most newly captured offences lack deferred prosecution agreement pathways and extending reach to overseas organisations whose senior managers have UK-law exposure. This analysis examines the structural consequences of section 250, its international dimension, and how it contrasts with the failure to prevent framework that offers

This article covers the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ("OFSI")'s recent reforms to UK financial sanctions enforcement, and the practical implications for businesses.