Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to ban UK politicians accepting cryptocurrency donations.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We have introduced the Representation of the People Bill which brings forward a package of reforms to deliver on our manifesto commitment to tighten the rules on political donations. It introduces a ‘Know your Donor’ scheme requiring enhanced checks on larger donations, to prevent the risk of foreign interference. It introduces tighter eligibility rules on donations from companies to ensure a genuine connection to the UK, and stricter rules and checks by unincorporated associations on the gifts they receive and donations they make.

The Rycroft Review on foreign interference in UK politics will focus on the effectiveness of the UK’s political finance laws, as well as the safeguards in place to protect our democracy from illicit money from abroad, including cryptoassets. The terms of reference for the review can be found here: Independent review: countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics: Terms of Reference - GOV.UK. Review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Security Minister by the end of March 2026.

We will take any steps necessary to ensure the integrity of our system.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to extend sanctions to dual-use items to prevent their use in Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK has introduced extensive trade sanctions to prevent Russia acquiring dual‑use items used in its military operations. Since March 2022, we have banned the export of all dual‑use goods and other high‑risk technologies, including products identified on the battlefield and items critical to Russia’s military‑industrial complex.

Our comprehensive export sanctions have led Russia to pursue convoluted and costly routes to circumvent our measures. Alongside extensive guidance and outreach to UK exporters, we plan to bring forward secondary legislation to introduce new sanctions end-use controls. These new powers will help to tackle circumvention of UK goods sanctions via third countries. We work closely with international partners to close those circumvention routes and further restrict Russia’s access to sensitive technologies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will sanction Russian judges and court officials involved in using Russian anti-terror and other domestic laws to penalise Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Independent reporting by the UN Commission of Inquiry and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Moscow Mechanism has highlighted widespread abuses of prisoners of war, including violations of their fundamental rights. The UK has been clear that prisoners of war must be treated humanely and in full accordance with the Geneva Conventions and has called on Russia to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law. As per the UK's long-standing policy, it would not be appropriate to speculate about any future sanctions action, but - having already imposed on Russia the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy, alongside our international partners - we keep the scope for further action under constant review.