An independent review has been announced to examine the effectiveness of the UK’s political finance laws in countering foreign financial influence and interference in domestic affairs. The inquiry follows the recent conviction and imprisonment of a former senior politician for accepting bribes from a pro-Kremlin agent.
The review, commissioned by the government, will assess the current regulatory framework’s ability to identify foreign influence and evaluate safeguards against illicit funding, including through digital currencies. It will also scrutinize the rules governing political parties and the enforcement powers of the Electoral Commission.
This initiative comes amid heightened concerns within security and parliamentary circles about the scale of foreign threats to democratic institutions. The case of the former MEP, sentenced to a decade in prison for acting on behalf of the Russian state, alongside other identified instances of covert influence, has underscored the urgency of the issue.
The inquiry will be led by a former senior civil servant with extensive experience in constitutional and electoral affairs. It is scheduled to conclude by the end of March 2026, with its findings intended to inform forthcoming legislation on elections and democracy. The scope will focus on the current landscape rather than revisiting past events, such as the 2016 referendum.
In announcing the review, a government minister stated that such conduct represents a stain on democracy and that the work aims to remove it. The review is part of a broader strategy to close loopholes in election funding, strengthen donation rules, and clamp down on the use of shell companies.
Separately, political figures have called for internal investigations into potential foreign links within parties, highlighting ongoing political tensions on the issue. The security minister emphasized that protecting national security is a first duty and that the review will rigorously test existing financial safeguards to disrupt and deter threats.
The government has also recently announced a separate action plan to counter political interference and espionage, which includes enhanced security briefings for political parties and collaboration with professional networks to identify suspicious activity.
While the review has been welcomed by various political quarters, some opposition figures have criticized the government’s broader democratic credentials and urged that the examination cover all forms of foreign influence, citing specific allegations against other political entities. Officials have confirmed the review will consider all kinds of foreign financial interference in UK politics.