We need your help fighting a serious threat to corporate accountability.
The UK Government is proposing changes that could allow companies to hold their annual general meetings (AGMs) entirely online.
AGMs are one of the few opportunities that shareholders have to publicly question company boards about decisions that affect us all - from executive pay and workers’ rights to environmental and human rights impacts. Right now, the legal status of online-only AGMs in the UK is unclear, but some companies here and overseas have already started to hold them.
Online-only AGMs make meaningful scrutiny much harder, allowing companies to mute criticism, avoid difficult questions and cut off follow-ups in ways that simply aren’t possible in a room full of people.
We’re calling on the Government to scrap these proposals and support hybrid AGMs, giving shareholders the choice to attend online or in person. This would protect flexible access without sacrificing scrutiny.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has the power to reverse these changes, but this issue is buried in a really worrying 'Modernising Corporate Reporting' package that is being rushed through under pressure from big business lobbyists, and risks passing with little scrutiny. Your MP can put it back on his desk.
Complete the form to email your MP and support our campaign.
You can read further information about this issue here. Including more on our concerns that the proposals would significantly weaken corporate transparency on issues ranging from executive pay to environmental and human rights. The full consultation is available on the Government's website here.
