Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

National Security Strategy, Political Finance and Foreign Influence

19 March 2026 · 2 other contributors

Opened by Matt Western Lab Warwick and Leamington

Democracy & ElectionsForeign Affairs

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Matt Western raised concerns about national security strategy, political finance and foreign influence in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • UK's political finance system is described as outdated and inadequate in the face of increasing state threats.
  • Transparency International UK estimates tens of millions of pounds flow into UK politics through existing loopholes.
  • US intelligence reports suggest Russia spent over 300 million influencing UK politicians.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Matt Western

I am pleased to present the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy’s third report of this Parliament, which addresses political finance and foreign influence. The UK's current political finance system is outdated and inadequate in an era where state threats are increasing. Transparency International UK estimates that tens of millions of pounds flow into UK politics through loopholes, while US intelligence reports suggest Russia spent over £300 million influencing politicians in 24 countries from 2014 to 2022. The Government has introduced the Representation of the People Bill but needs to go further. Our Committee found that foreign state threats are growing, and new technologies make corporate behaviour easier to evade due diligence checks. There is concern about wealthy individuals like Elon Musk potentially donating large sums. We recommend creating a new enforcement lead within the police service reforms, fixing basic loopholes in donation rules, implementing tougher declarations and penalties, giving the Electoral Commission new powers, banning crypto donations until proper safeguards are in place, ensuring proper resourcing for investigations, and making changes proportionate.

Other contributors (2)
  • Alex Barros-Curtis

    Question

    I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent statement. I fully welcome the report and its recommendations, which I will read very carefully. I share his concerns about cryptocurrencies. The first recommendation is about the need for a single centralised unit. Does he agree that the Government might consider the new National Police Service, announced as part of the policing reforms, a suitable vehicle to deal with the issues of electoral crime?

    Minister reply

    The Committee very much hopes that a new service will be able to accommodate that recommendation. We hope for a centralised service using the most appropriate vehicle; whether within the National Crime Agency or separately in the police service is for others to decide. The key issue is avoiding a disparate mix of agencies working in the same arena. Crucial is the inability of the Electoral Commission to access data and information from other agencies due to GDPR reasons, which hampers its work.

Shadow Comment

Alex Barros-Curtis

I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent statement and fully welcome the report's recommendations. I share his concerns about cryptocurrencies and support the first recommendation to establish a single centralised unit to deal with electoral crime issues.

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