The Illusion of Compliance: Why Professional Passport’s Accreditation Offers No Real Protection
In a recent article titled “Who Knew”, Crawford Temple, CEO of Professional Passport (PP), stated:
“Accreditations, in simple terms, offer no protection against JSL.”
This seemingly simple sentence carries a much deeper implication — one that undermines the entire premise on which Professional Passport’s business model is built.
Accreditation That Doesn’t Protect
Professional Passport presents itself as an independent accreditation body that assesses umbrella companies for compliance, ensuring they are not engaging in disguised remuneration or tax avoidance schemes. Recruitment agencies and contractors often rely on this accreditation as a signal of legitimacy and trust.
Yet, according to Temple himself, that very accreditation offers no protection under the forthcoming Joint and Several Liability (JSL) legislation, due to come into effect in April 2026.
If an accreditation cannot protect agencies, end clients, or contractors from liability — nor guarantee that the accredited umbrellas are operating compliantly — then what is its true purpose?
The Contradiction at the Heart of Professional Passport
Temple’s statement doesn’t just apply to future legislation; it inadvertently exposes a deeper truth about PP’s historical effectiveness.
If PP’s accreditation cannot protect against JSL liability now, it follows that it never actually offered protection against non-compliance in the past either. In other words, the accreditation did not — and does not — ensure compliance in any meaningful sense.
This isn’t a theoretical concern. Several umbrella companies currently accredited by Professional Passport have been associated with, or directly promoting, tax avoidance schemes. Despite PP’s supposed vetting process, these companies have slipped through the cracks, continuing to operate under the banner of “accreditation” and misleading both contractors and recruitment agencies.
A False Sense of Security
Professional Passport’s model appears to provide the appearance of oversight rather than the substance of it. Agencies and contractors are encouraged to believe that accreditation equals compliance — yet PP has now openly admitted that its stamp of approval offers no real-world protection.
This creates a dangerous false sense of security across the labour supply chain. When accreditation cannot prevent non-compliant umbrellas from being endorsed, and offers no liability protection for those who rely on it, its practical value evaporates.
The Unspoken Admission
By stating that accreditations “offer no protection against JSL,” Crawford Temple has, perhaps unintentionally, confirmed that Professional Passport’s accreditation is not a safeguard — it’s merely an assessment conducted at a single point in time, with no ongoing accountability or legal weight.
In essence, Professional Passport’s accreditation:
Does not prevent non-compliance,
Does not guarantee HMRC approval,
And does not shield anyone from future liability.
Conclusion: Time for Transparency and Reform
The UK contracting industry has long needed genuine, independent oversight that protects contractors and agencies from unscrupulous umbrella practices. If accreditation bodies like Professional Passport cannot provide that protection — and publicly admit as much — then they are not acting in the interests of the workers and businesses they claim to support.
It is time for transparency, reform, and accountability. Until then, the illusion of compliance offered by Professional Passport’s accreditation remains just that — an illusion.
