Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to recommendation 17 of the document entitled The Rycroft Review: Report of the independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics, updated on 27 April 2026, her Department's document entitled The Rycroft Review: HM Government response, published on 6 July 2026, and the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 1 September 2026 on Direction of Government, Official Report, columns 36 and 46, whether the Home Office's Permanent Secretary remains the lead on democracy and elections across Government following the recent restructuring of Government.

The Home Office Permanent Secretary is the lead for defending democracy, having been appointed by the Cabinet Secretary following Recommendation 17 of the Rycroft Review. This is in support of my role as chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce (DDTF).

Responsibility for elections policy sits with the Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith.

The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (a joint Cabinet Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government Unit) leads on election security and preparedness, and is a member of the DDTF.

The Cabinet Office are leading on assembling a new cross-Government task and finish team, which will be in conjunction with the work already delivered by the DDTF. The Taskforce operates across government to tackle the full range of national security threats to our democracy.