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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the level of the threat posed by Russia to UK elections.

The Government is committed to upholding and strengthening UK democracy by protecting against foreign interference, improving political transparency, adding tougher checks for donations and closing loopholes by reinforcing electoral legislation against foreign interference.

The Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit is a permanent function which sits jointly between Cabinet Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), dedicated to protecting UK elections and referendums and coordinating work across government to respond to issues including protective security, cyber threats and mis and disinformation, as they emerge.

Through the Representation of the People Bill we are introducing tougher rules on political donations to protect UK elections, striking the right balance between safeguarding against foreign interference whilst making sure that legitimate donors can continue to fund electoral campaigns. These changes will effectively meet an evolving and sophisticated threat to ensure the UK is not vulnerable to illicit political donations from abroad.

Additionally, the Government welcomes Philip Rycroft’s comprehensive, thoughtful and well-reasoned report on foreign financial interference in our democracy. We are taking immediate steps to implement his recommendations for a cap on donations made by overseas electors and for a moratorium on donations made via crypto currency, which we will implement through amendments to the Representation of the People Bill, currently before the House of Commons. The Government supports the wider conclusions drawn by Mr Rycroft on the risks in our system and will reflect swiftly on how best to take these forward, given their more technical nature. We will respond, formally and in full, in due course.