🚨 Foreign Influence Registration Scheme

• Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) Implementation: The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, part of the National Security Act 2023, will start on July 1, 2023. It aims to protect the UK’s democracy, economy, and society from foreign state influence.

• Transparency and Compliance: FIRS will increase transparency by requiring individuals and entities working under foreign powers to register their activities. Failure to comply will lead to criminal charges, acting as both a deterrent and a disruptive tool against foreign influence.

• Political Influence and Enhanced Tiers: The scheme includes a political tier for all states to register influence activities in the UK’s political system, and an enhanced tier targeting specific countries posing greater threats, currently including Iran and Russia.

• Russia’s Inclusion in Enhanced Tier: Russia has been added to the enhanced tier due to its significant threat to UK national security, including actions like the Salisbury nerve agent attack and cyber-attacks. This requires entities associated with the Russian government and specific political parties to register their activities in the UK.

• Guidance and Regulations: The government has released draft regulations for Russia and Iran’s inclusion, along with guidance to help organizations understand and comply with their obligations under FIRS.

• Preparation Period for Sectors: Sectors will have three months to prepare for the scheme’s rollout, with a grace period for registering existing arrangements.

• Concerns Over China’s Omission: Opposition members expressed concern about China not being included in the enhanced tier, citing its significant espionage and influence activities in the UK. The government responded that decisions on countries are made based on evidence and cannot be speculated on in advance.

• Police Training on State Threats: Training on state threats will be provided to all 45 territorial police forces to better handle incidents of foreign state aggression.

• Cyber-Security and Critical Infrastructure: Upcoming legislation will aim to enhance the UK’s cyber-resilience, protecting critical national infrastructure from cyber-attacks and ransomware.

• Parliamentary Scrutiny: The new scheme will allow parliamentarians to check if individuals seeking to influence them are acting on behalf of foreign powers, enhancing the integrity of the political process.

The session displays a moderate level of disagreement, meriting a rating of 2. While there is a general consensus on the importance and implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), specific disagreements arise primarily around the focus on certain countries and related issues. Here are detailed points to support this rating:

1. Consensus on FIRS Implementation: There is a broad agreement across parties on the necessity and value of the FIRS. Both the Minister for Security (Dan Jarvis) and the shadow Home Secretary (Chris Philp) expressed gratitude and support for the scheme’s rollout. For instance, Chris Philp said, “We on the Conservative Benches welcome the commencement of the FIRS regime,” reflecting a unified stance on the policy’s implementation.

2. Disagreement on Country Focus: The primary disagreement stems from the omission of China from the enhanced tier of the scheme. Chris Philp questioned this omission, stating, “There is no question in my mind that China should be in the enhanced tier of FIRS,” and further detailed the threats posed by China based on intelligence reports. This sentiment was echoed by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who described China as “the elephant in the room” and pushed for its inclusion in the scheme. The Minister’s response avoided committing to future inclusions, causing frustration among some members.

3. Disagreement on Related Policies: There are specific concerns about related policies and actions, such as the proposed Chinese mega-embassy and the handling of potential foreign influence in UK politics. Lisa Smart from the Liberal Democrats questioned the government’s support for the embassy and suggested it could encourage further subversive activities by China. Sir Julian Lewis expressed concern about the embassy’s construction, linking it to national security issues.

4. Minor Disagreements on Implementation Details: There were questions and concerns about how the FIRS would be administered and whether it would be effective in practice. Damian Hinds raised definitional matters that could impact the scheme’s operation, asking for clarity on what constitutes being “at the direction” of a foreign power and the scope of “political influence.” The Minister assured that these aspects would be reviewed but did not provide detailed answers, indicating some unresolved issues.

5. Specific Policy Disagreements: Graham Leadbitter from the SNP brought up potential foreign interference related to tariffs and executive orders from the US, questioning whether such actions would necessitate FIRS registration. This suggests another area of disagreement on how the scheme should address different forms of foreign influence.

Overall, while there is agreement on the need for the FIRS, the disagreements on country focus, related policies, and implementation details raise concerns that are significant but not to the extent that they dominate the session. Hence, the disagreement level is moderate, resulting in a rating of 2.