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A Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) will be implemented in summer 2025 to increase transparency around the influence of foreign powers in UK politics, the Government has pledged.
The delayed scheme will require those being ‘directed by a foreign power’ to carry out so-called political influence activities – such as lobbying – to register with the authorities.
It comes in an official Government response to concerns about threats to UK democracy raised by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy before July’s General Election.
Dan Jarvis MP, Britain’s Security Minister, has pledged to act on fears around foreign interference in a letter to MPs and peers.
He said that while the 2024 election ran smoothly overall, there were significant issues with harassment and intimidation of candidates, campaigners, and electoral administrators.
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The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper chaired a Defending Democracy Taskforce meeting in July to discuss lessons learned from the election, particularly regarding harassment issues.
According to the Alan Turing Institute, AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes did not significantly impact the UK or European election results in 2024.
But while no major foreign interference incidents are thought to have affected the 2024 election outcome, the Government says it will continue to monitor long-term risks for democratic institutions.
The Government says it also plans to strengthen rules around political party donations, with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government developing proposals.
Addressing fears of MPs and candidates being targeted by online harassment and hacking, the National Cyber Security Centre has developed enhanced cybersecurity measures for Parliamentarians, including guidance for securing personal email and web domains.
The Online Safety Act will also require platforms to address harmful content, with duties taking effect in early 2025. However, non-illegal misinformation – except material targeting children – will be largely unaffected by the law.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology says it has maintained regular contact with major social media platforms during the election period to monitor misinformation.
An additional £31 million was allocated over the past year to support candidate security, including private security operatives for election-related events. The Government says the Parliamentary Security Department also continues to provide baseline security measures for MPs away from Parliament.
Jarvis noted that the previous Government launched a ‘Deepfake Detection Challenge’ in May 2024 to encourage innovation in deepfake detection technology.
A cross-party Speaker’s Conference led by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is set to examine factors affecting threats against candidates and MPs and make recommendations for future elections.
On foreign interference in Britain’s politics – brought under renewed scrutiny amid claims that Trump aide and billionaire Elon Musk could give £80m to Reform UK – Minister Jarvis said in the letter: “The Government takes threats of interference very seriously, and we continue to work closely with the UK Intelligence Community to combat these issues.
“One of the key milestones in our response is the introduction of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS)…
“This will therefore increase transparency of foreign power influence in the UK and deter the use of covert arrangements by foreign powers seeking to influence our democracy.”
Amid pressure on the Government to roll out the scheme swiftly, Jarvis added: “The implementation of FIRS remains a Government priority and we expect it to go live in summer 2025. We are also engaging our international partners to learn lessons and collaborate on the common challenges we face.”
Matt Western MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which wrote to the previous Government in May, said: “Last year saw an unprecedented level of democratic activity across the world, including the election here in the UK. Although many of the more worrying predictions did not come to pass in the UK, it’s vital that we take stock, fix our vulnerabilities and remain vigilant. That said, there were concerning cases of political intimidation affected at a personal level.
“The reality is that electoral interference continues to present a significant risk, and an attractive proposition to hostile actors. We must be vigilant, and I am grateful the Government has set out its responses to the previous Committee’s letter.
“As the Government seeks to learn its own lessons from the 2024 election, the Committee will keep these matters under close review, and we look forward to continuing to scrutinise the Government’s efforts to protect our democracy.”
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy scrutinises the structures for Government decision-making on national security, particularly the role of the National Security Council and the National Security Adviser.
You can read the Government’s new response to the committee in full here.