Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle foreign interference in politics.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting the UK and our democratic processes from foreign interference is a priority for this Government and we have several mechanisms in place. The National Security Act 2023 provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt state threats. The Government's Defending Democracy Taskforce, chaired by the Minister of State for Security, is focused on safeguarding our democracy from the full range of threats including foreign interference. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP) works between the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to coordinate election security and preparedness activity including working with the devolved administrations, local authorities and the Electoral Commission. The Government has also committed to enhancing the safeguards against foreign funding of election campaigns and will be bringing forward proposals in due course. The Government also works with like-minded international partners to share expertise and develop tools to build our collective democratic resilience.