WORKPLACE and environmental abuses may be going unpunished as a study published yesterday reveals that enforcement has fallen to new lows this year following a “catastrophic” weakening of rules.

Regulators across most British industries have seen the number of enforcement actions decline in 2025, according to a cross-sector review published by policy think tank Good Jobs First.

The data showed a steep drop in regulatory penalties for abusive employers in workplace safety, consumer protection, as well as financial and environmental offences.

This steep decline follows a government request earlier this year, asking regulators to ease actions against businesses in the hopes of stimulating economic growth.

PM Sir Keir Starmer’s government sent out letters to 17 regulators telling them to relax rules for companies across several key sectors.

In response, environmental agency enforcement continued its decades-long decline in 2025, while the Financial Conduct Authority saw a drop of nearly £600 million in penalties compared with 2024.

The report also showed that successful outcomes at employment tribunals went down this year, while the number of cases waiting to be heard have increased dramatically, with many being scheduled for 2027 or 2028.

Levels of enforcement from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also dropped, the think tank found.

Reacting to the report, Green MP Sian Berry told the Star: “This report lays bare a catastrophic weakening of the rules that protect people and the planet. 

“When environmental enforcement collapses, polluters get a green light to poison our rivers, trash our air and destroy habitats with impunity. 

“The decades-long decline in Environment Agency enforcement, alongside falling financial penalties, is not an accident; it is the result of political choices.

“This is a clear failure of the Labour government to stand up to corporate power.

“The Green Party would reverse this race to the bottom by properly funding regulators, restoring tough enforcement, and making polluters and abusive employers pay with real penalties, criminal prosecutions where appropriate, and a presumption in favour of the environment and workers, not corporate profit.”

The only two government agencies which increased the number of actions this year were the Competition and Markets Authority, with more than two dozen penalty actions, and Ofwat, which brought forward major cases against privately owned water companies.

Institute of Employment Rights director James Harrison told the Star: “[This] is deeply concerning.
“The fall in successful employment tribunal cases is particularly alarming, as it underlines just how difficult upholding individual employment rights can be for workers in the UK’s labour market. 

“Even where workers are indeed successful, an even smaller number actually receive their compensation.

“In practice, workers are far better protected by collective rights, enforced through trade unions acting on their behalf, than by an individualised system that places the burden of enforcement on workers themselves.”

He added: “This analysis makes one thing clear: rights without enforcement are not rights at all.

“Laws on the books, whether covering health and safety, employment rights, or basic workplace protections, are meaningless without well-resourced enforcement bodies with the authority and power to hold employers accountable for unlawful behaviour.”

Unison assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “Years of cuts under Conservative governments have left public services severely under-resourced.

“Bodies safeguarding public safety and standards have been particularly hard hit. It’s vital they’re rebuilt so people are protected and those flouting the rules are brought to account.”

A Unite spokesperson said: “It is the fundamental role of unions to keep workers safe and to ensure employers and government do the same.

“The safety and well-being of workers is never optional and must always be the highest priority in the workplace.

“It is imperative the government fully funds the HSE and other enforcement bodies to ensure that employers can’t cut corners on safety.”

A HSE spokesperson defended the body’s record on environmental regulation, claiming that “Britain continues to be one of the safest places to work in the world.

“Counting the enforcement action we carry out is not the only way that we measure impact. 

“Over the past 10 years we have focused on the areas of greatest risk and targeted our inspection activity using insight and intelligence.

“We also use a range of regulatory tools to improve health and safety, such as working to influence industries and providing free, clear, and accessible guidance.”