Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what analysis her Department has undertaken of the likelihood and potential impact of interference in the UK's democratic processes over the next five years.

It is an absolute priority for this government to protect our democratic and electoral processes against all forms of malign interference. The Defending Democracy Taskforce coordinates and drives forward a whole-of-government response to the full range of threats to our democracy, including foreign interference.

As the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons on 14 October 2026, it is important that we are clear-eyed about what happened in the past. There is incontrovertible evidence that outside actors – enemies of this country – have interfered in our democratic processes, and it is inconceivable that that was not taking place across the whole of the last decade. We believe that any attempts were not successful.

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 the Government is committed to taking all necessary measures to mitigate this evolving threat.

The Prime Minister also announced that the Government will establish a new National Centre for Information Defence. The establishment of this new centre will seek to transform UK capabilities for detecting, attributing and disrupting hostile information operations from foreign adversaries, to support and defend our democracy.