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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of existing political finance rules in preventing foreign interference and improper influence in UK elections.

The threat of foreign interference is evolving, while the current UK rules are no longer sufficient to address these risks. Our Representation of the People Bill introduces tougher rules on political donations to protect UK elections. Legislation will require enhanced checks by recipients of donations to consider the risk of political donations being illegitimate, ensure political donors declare any benefit or sources of funding connected to their donation and tighten the rules around company donations.

In addition, we commissioned Philip Rycroft to undertake an Independent Review into Countering Foreign Financial Influence and Interference in UK Politics. We are considering his recommendations and will issue a full response in due course.