Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he plans to take to support the work of the Defending Democracy Taskforce in the next 12 months.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is an enduring government function which seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference in our democratic processes, institutions and society.

The Prime Minister asked me to set up and lead the Taskforce as a cross-Government endeavour. As a cross-departmental and inter-agency initiative it is already supported by ministers and officials from a range of departments, including the Home Office, the Cabinet Office, DSIT, DLUHC, law enforcement, the UK intelligence community and Parliament, amongst others.

The work done by the Taskforce to defend democracy will remain vital over the next 12 months.