The UK will be better protected from hostile activity by foreign states with new powers to crack down on individuals, organisations and proxy groups acting on their behalf, under landmark new legislation introduced to Parliament today (9 June).
The government is delivering on its promise to fast-track legislation after the recent wave of alarming antisemitic attacks in the UK.
The National Security (State Threats) Bill will give the Home Secretary new counter terrorism-style powers to stand up to foreign state organisations and state-linked groups that threaten the UK’s national security and the safety of our communities.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the new law is expected to come into force as early as next month. The Home Secretary will be able to use these new powers immediately and, if she judges it necessary, will do so without delay.
The powers will stop foreign states carrying out hostile activity in the UK – such as criminal damage against Jewish communities and targeting dissidents on UK soil. It will give the police and intelligence agencies stronger tools and powers to disrupt and deter those who work on their behalf.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said
The recent wave of antisemitic attacks has shocked the nation and left British Jews feeling unsafe in their own communities. That cannot stand.
Where foreign states are found to be engaging in activity that threatens lives or undermines our democratic institutions, we must ensure that such actions have consequences.
We will not tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals to do their dirty work.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said
Foreign states are becoming ever more aggressive – attacking our communities, our way of life, and our institutions – and hiding their tracks behind proxies. We must adapt to keep pace.
Our world-leading police and intelligence agencies do remarkable work every day to keep this country safe, and they will always have the government’s fullest support. That is why we are equipping them with stronger tools to take down these evolving threats wherever they occur.
These new powers should send a clear message to anyone doing the dirty work of a foreign state – we will come after you and you will face the full force of the law.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said
In recent years we have seen an increase in state backed threats on UK streets. Eighteen months ago, I commissioned the Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation to examine the gaps in our national security legislation, and consider what changes we would need to allow counter terrorism-style powers to be used effectively to counter state threats.
As a result of that work, the new law we are introducing today will enable us to take the strong action required against those foreign adversaries seeking to undermine the UK’s security, interests, and values through covert means.
Our duty is to defend ourselves from these threats, protect our national security, and keep the British people safe.
A new criminal offence will apply to anyone who expresses support for a designated organisation – criminalising the glorification of activities which threaten the UK.
It will also be an offence to assist or receive payment from a designated organisation. This will crack down on foreign states hiding their involvement in hostile activity by outsourcing it to proxy groups, such as organised crime groups.
The bill mirrors these offences from the National Security Act 2023, meaning designated groups can be treated in the same way as a ‘foreign intelligence service’ so harmful acts conducted through proxies can be disrupted.
Collectively, these new measures will make it easier to prosecute perpetrators, deter those who might be susceptible to doing the bidding of a hostile state-linked actor, and mean that anyone convicted could face the severe consequence up to 14 years behind bars.
The new powers come in the wake of a concerning rise in state-backed aggression on UK soil with MI5’s state threats investigations increasing by 35% as of last year – with 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots tracked by MI5 last year alone – and diversifying, as we see more threats to life and increased use of proxy groups.
The Home Secretary confirmed the legislation would be fast-tracked after the recent wave of antisemitic attacks. Whilst a number of these have been claimed by a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin, there are a number of live investigations and criminal proceedings.
The National Security Act 2023 provided the police and intelligence agencies with extensive new tools to detect and disrupt hostile activity, and a record £600 million additional funding is being invested, however the government must keep pace with the growing scale and increasing complexity of the threats the UK faces.
The government has already brought forward some of strongest measures yet to protect the UK’s national security from state threats. The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme increases transparency of covert influence in our democracy and state threat offenders now face longer behind bars under a tougher sentencing regime. We’ve rolled out new training for front line police officers to increase their understanding and ability to respond to state-directed incidents, and a number of convictions in the past year will continue serve as a reminder to anyone considering acting on behalf of a foreign state that there will be severe consequences.