The justice secretary has moved to reassure ‘honest’ businesses that they will not need to spend ‘millions’ on new systems to comply with the Bribery Act, whatever they may have been told by advisers.

Ken Clarke told parliament that lawyers and consultants ‘will, of course, try to persuade companies that millions of pounds must be spent on new systems that, in my opinion, no honest firm will require to comply with the act’.

He said that he will put out ‘very clear guidance’ to help businesses ‘save’ themselves from these advances.

Clarke stressed that there will be no watering down of the act, and that the guidance, which the Ministry of Justice is working on, will make clear the boundaries of legitimate company promotion.

The Bribery Act introduces a corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery, under which company executives could face personal criminal liability if found to have connived or consented to offering or receiving a bribe.

Companies will have a defence if they can show they had adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery.

The guidance on the act will advise businesses on what steps they should take to ensure that they are trying to prevent bribery.

It was due to be published in January, with the act itself planned to come into force in April, but implementation was delayed amid concerns from business lobbies over the clarity of the legislation.

The MoJ said that the act will come into force three months after the guidance is published.

Clarke said: ‘I believe that it is possible to produce guidance and enforce the act in a way that produces rigour and fairness.

'There is no backing down from the principles of the act at all.

‘The guidance must make it absolutely clear that ordinary, legitimate promotion – hospitality and similar activities in which people engage in order to project the quality of their company and its products or services, and to establish personal relationships with clients and customers – is all part of international trade.

'The [act] can be used to tackle corruption without damaging British business at a time of, we hope, revival in our international trade.’