Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures her Department is taking to protect people living in the UK against (a) harassment (b) abuse (c) intimidation and (d) other forms of harm carried out by other states engaged in transnational repression in the UK.

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.

We have a broad suite of powers available to counter transnational repression, and we continue to implement measures in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts. On 4 March, I announced a new package of training for frontline police officers and staff to increase their understanding of foreign state threats. This training will improve law enforcement’s ability to detect and investigate incidents which may be state-directed.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s existing response to transnational repression to ensure it is robust and joined across government and law enforcement. In the interim, anyone who thinks they might be at risk should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.