Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether China should be specified under the ‘enhanced tier’ of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

As the Deputy Prime Minister stated during the Security Update on 11 September, it remains an absolute priority for the government to take all necessary steps to protect the United Kingdom from any foreign state activity which seeks to undermine our national security, prosperity and democratic values.

Earlier this year, the Government passed the National Security Act 2023, which provides for the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), a two-tier scheme which will enable transparency of foreign influence in UK politics and provide greater assurance around the activities of specified foreign powers or foreign power-controlled entities.

In implementing the scheme, the Government is considering where greater scrutiny is needed through the enhanced tier to protect the safety or interests of the UK. As the Deputy Prime Minister stated, the Government is currently reviewing the foreign powers who should be specified on the enhanced tier but will not make any announcements in respect of this, until it has gone through all the proper processes.

Work is ongoing to deliver the scheme, including establishing a Scheme Management Unit and supporting IT and developing relevant guidance. A public consultation on guidance for the scheme is currently live on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/foreign-influence-registration-scheme-draft-guidance