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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) misinformation (b) foreign influence in the 2026 elections.

The Government takes attempts by any country to intervene in our democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes.

The Government addresses these challenges through coordinated efforts led by the Defending Democracy Taskforce and Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit which bring together Whitehall departments, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies to monitor and mitigate election security risks, including mis – and disinformation and foreign interference. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit is currently leading on cross-government efforts in preparation for the 2026 elections, which are taking place across the UK.