Corporate criminal liability under the crime and policing bill 2025:the challenges and flaws of the 'senior manager' regime

Clause 130 of the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 will extend a company’s identification with the criminal wrongdoing of ‘senior managers,’ acting within the scope of their authority, beyond economic crimes to all (the tens of thousands of) crimes within the UK’s jurisdictions. As it stands such an extension will in theory expose companies themselves to conviction for offences committed by senior managers as wide ranging as murder, rape, bigamy, and wearing an armed services uniform without HM permission. I explore the (de)merits of Clause 130, and consider the deeper theoretical issues concerning corporate criminal responsibility to which it gives rise.