"There is great public concern at the criminal law’s lack of success in convicting companies of manslaughter where a death has occurred due to gross negligence by the organisation as a whole. The law needs to be clear and effective in order to secure public confidence and must bite properly on large corporations whose failure to set or maintain standards causes a death.” David Blunkett 20.05.2003

It is over seven years since the Law Commission recommended fundamental changes to the law of manslaughter, but in spite of pledges made by the Labour Party in their 1997 manifesto [repeated in the 2001 manifesto] there has been little sign of any reform until David Blunkett’s recent announcement.