The government’s guidance on the Bribery Act has given reassurance to recruiters looking to entertain their clients, according to Neill Blundell, partner and head of fraud at international law firm Eversheds.

Blundell says: “The guidance carries a clear message that for hospitality to be considered bribery, the prosecution will need to show that it was given with the intention to induce improper conduct from the other party with regard to their business, trade or profession.”

Jeremy Summers, partner in the business crime and regulation team at law firm Russell Jones & Walker, adds: “The guidance also makes clear that normal and legitimate hospitality will not engage the Bribery Act.

“It does appear therefore that the government has listened to the concerns of business and tried to soften the more extreme ways in which the Act potentially could have been enforced.”