Political Parties: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Tough new rules to crackdown on foreign money in UK elections, published on 6 July 2026, what is the evidential basis for the statement that foreign (a) money and (b) powers have (i) exploited the system and (ii) tried to warp elections, and if she will name the (A) identified sources of such foreign funding, and (B) specific foreign powers.
Answered by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
There is no evidence of any foreign interference attempts having been ‘successful’ in materially impacting the outcome of a recent UK election or referendum. The UK’s elections, both national and local, continue to be delivered safely and securely. However, this Government is clear-eyed about a range of ongoing and evolving interference threats posed by a range of foreign state actors and their proxies, as we saw with MI5’s disruptive alert on Christine Lee in 2022 and the conviction of Nathan Gill for bribery offences in November 2025.
The guidance that the NPSA published in October 2025 highlights the range of vectors and tactics that foreign actors are using to target individuals working in UK politics, and this Government is committed to safeguarding the UK's elections and taking all necessary measures to mitigate this evolving threat. We have established processes to protect democratic integrity across the country. It is only through maintaining and strengthening our defences that we keep our system secure.
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