UK Crime and Policing Act 2026 expands corporate criminal liability, making it easier to hold companies accountable for offences committed by “senior managers” acting within their authority

Previously, prosecutors had to prove wrongdoing by a company’s “directing mind and will” (usually top executives), but the new framework extends liability to a much broader range of senior staff, covering almost all criminal offences—not just economic crimes like fraud or money laundering. As a result, companies can now be held liable where a senior manager commits an offence in the course of their role, even without direct board involvement or clear corporate benefit, greatly widening exposure to fraud, financial crime…