Julie Edge MHK has reiterated her call for stronger, independent protections for whistleblowers, saying she will “stand up for whistleblowers whatever the cost” ahead of next week’s Tynwald debate on the Whistleblowing Committee report.
Edge said she joined Whistleblowers UK remotely at an event in the Palace of Westminster titled Normalising Speaking Up and Stories from the Front Line, alongside campaigners including Dr Chris Day, Jayne Senior MBE, Zelda Perkins CBE and Jo Gideon.
She described them as people who have shown “tremendous courage in exposing wrongdoing”.
Public Protectors
She said whistleblowers are “public protectors” who often identify risks to patients, vulnerable people, public money and public services — yet too frequently become the ones who suffer for speaking up.
Edge said: “My responsibility is not to protect institutions or powerful individuals. My responsibility is to represent the people of the Isle of Man and to ensure their voices are heard.”
She added that while legislative progress has been made, the Council of Ministers’ response and the Auditor General’s independent review show it is “not enough”, stressing that whistleblowing oversight must be independent, a position the Council of Ministers does not support.
“Changing the law is easier than changing culture. Until people can raise concerns without fear of retaliation, there is still much more work to do.”
Edge encouraged anyone who supports an independent whistleblowing oversight body to contact their MHK before next week’s debate.
She closed with a message to whistleblowers: “You deserve to be heard, not harmed. Protected, not punished for doing the right thing.”
