Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Money Laundering: High Street Businesses

Monday 9 February 2026 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial steps include forming a high streets taskforce to examine data sharing between agencies.
  • The Government plans to publish a new anti-money laundering strategy.
  • The Minister emphasized collaboration with the National Crime Agency to tackle serious organised crime.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Harpreet Uppal Lab Huddersfield
Crime & Law Enforcement Business Compliance
Context

The MP noted that police operations last year led to hundreds of arrests and thousands of raids on high street shops across the country, including in West Yorkshire. She highlighted a need for further steps to tackle money laundering.

Question

I am concerned about police operations last year leading to hundreds arrested and thousands of high street shops raided across the country, including in West Yorkshire. What further steps are being taken to tackle money laundering, including by connecting information across agencies and flagging suspicious entities, so that such operations can be closed down quickly?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

We are taking more steps. The new high streets taskforce will look at whether the current data sharing between agencies in supporting enforcement teams is appropriate in order to maximise our response to be as effective as possible. The Government will also publish a new anti-money laundering and asset recovery strategy this summer, which will set out further ambitious measures to strengthen our fight against money laundering, including through better sharing and exploitation of financial information across the system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exact mechanism for flagging suspicious entities was not detailed

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Q2 Harpreet Uppal Lab Huddersfield
Crime & Law Enforcement Business Compliance
Context

The MP noted that police operations last year led to hundreds of arrests and thousands of raids on high street shops across the country, including in West Yorkshire. She highlighted a need for further steps to tackle money laundering.

Question

I am concerned about police operations last year leading to hundreds arrested and thousands of high street shops raided across the country, including in West Yorkshire. What further steps are being taken to tackle money laundering, including by connecting information across agencies and flagging suspicious entities, so that such operations can be closed down quickly?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

We are taking more steps. The new high streets taskforce will look at whether the current data sharing between agencies in supporting enforcement teams is appropriate in order to maximise our response to be as effective as possible. The Government will also publish a new anti-money laundering and asset recovery strategy this summer, which will set out further ambitious measures to strengthen our fight against money laundering, including through better sharing and exploitation of financial information across the system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exact mechanism for flagging suspicious entities was not detailed

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Q3 Karen Bradley Con Staffordshire Moorlands
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The MP mentioned that organised criminality is behind much of the money laundering seen on high streets. She highlighted her Committee's inquiry into organised crime and its role in neighbourhood crime.

Question

I note that organised criminality is behind much of the money laundering we see on our high streets, which is why my Committee last week launched an inquiry looking at organised criminality and the role it plays in the crime we see in neighbourhoods up and down the country. Will the Minister set out the support the Home Office is giving to the National Crime Agency on this issue and how he envisages the NCA working with the 12 mega-forces and the national police force envisaged in the White Paper?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I am grateful to the Chair of the Committee for setting out the work it will be doing. I have long believed in the importance of working closely with the National Crime Agency to tackle serious organised crime, which is a blight on all our communities. We are working closely with the NCA to ensure it has the appropriate level of resourcing and the correct strategic priorities, and I meet the director every single week. We would be very happy to co-operate closely with the right hon. Lady on the work that her Committee is doing. She is right to mention the importance of police reform; we are obviously looking carefully at that process, and will ensure that we configure ourselves in a way that will maximise the ability of the National Crime Agency to tackle serious organised crime.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Concrete details on mega-forces' configuration were not provided

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