Petition · past parliament · Department for Business and Trade

Give all shareholders a voice by bringing Company Law into the 21st Century

Closed 4,292 signatures

What the petition asks

Help more investors engage with UK plcs by modernising the Companies Act: Give beneficial shareholders the right to direct info on plcs they invest in & plcs the right to visibility of who their shareholders are, make email a requirement to shareholding registration, & recognise digital AGMs.
Outdated legislation stops shareholder voices being heard. Almost half of individual shareholders can’t directly engage with the company they invest in, as they invest via platforms, the rest are constrained by a paper-based system. At the same time, companies are losing sight of who their investors are. Digital first reform will be better for shareholders, better for business and ultimately, better for Britain – making the UK a more attractive place to invest and to list.

Timeline

5 Apr 2023 Petition opened for signatures
5 Oct 2023 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 4,292
Status Closed
Department Department for Business and Trade
Opened 5 Apr 2023
Closed 5 Oct 2023

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.