Russia to be specified under foreign influence registration scheme

Russia is to be put on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), meaning anyone working for the Russian state in the UK will need to declare what they are doing or risk jail, the government announced today.

Introduced under the National Security Act 2023, FIRS is a tool to help protect our democracy, economy and society from covert, deceptive or otherwise harmful activities against UK interests. The Enhanced Tier has been specifically designed to shed light on activities directed by particular foreign powers which pose a threat to the safety or interests of the UK.

Russia is the second country to be placed on the Enhanced Tier, following the announcement in March that Iran would be specified. The government will designate all parts of the Russian state – including its President, its Parliament, all Russian Ministries and their agencies, and the Russian intelligence services. 

The specification of the Russian state is in response to the significant and persistent threat Russia poses to the UK and our interests, which has only increased in recent years. Russian hostile acts on UK soil have ranged from the use of a deadly nerve agent in Salisbury, malign cyber incidents - which included targeting UK parliamentarians through spear-phishing campaigns - as well as espionage and arson.   

Less than four weeks ago, three people living in the UK were found guilty of carrying out espionage activity on behalf of the Russian state, in an operation which police described as “highly sophisticated” and at “industrial scale.” A further three members of the same group had already pleaded guilty to espionage charges before the trial.     

Meanwhile, Russia continues to wage its unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine, a war which Russia could end by tomorrow by withdrawing its forces. The UK remains committed to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and will continue to exert maximum economic pressure to stop Russia from threatening and undermining Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, and to help ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused.   

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: 

“For too long, the Kremlin has been responsible for unacceptable threats to our national security - from damaging cyber-attacks, malign attempts to interfere in our democratic processes and attempted assassinations in this country.

“Our new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme gives us the power to take much stronger action against any Russian threat. The new measures will make it harder for Russia to conduct hostile acts against us in future and demonstrate once again this government's unshakable commitment to keep our country and our people safe, as outlined in the Plan for Change”.

Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:

“Over the past few years, Russia has pursued increasingly hostile policies against the UK and its interests – harassing British diplomats, attempting to undermine British politics through malign interference and cyber operations, and recruiting spies to undertake acts of arson and sabotage on UK soil.   

“We've responded robustly, tightening up our visa laws for the Kremlin's cronies, and withdrawing the accreditation of several Russian diplomats. We've unleashed unprecedented sanctions against the Russian regime following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Today we're going even further, holding Russia to account and exposing its shady attempts at interference to sunlight for all to see.”   

The UK has already taken strong action to combat Russia's threats against UK interests, expelling over 20 Russian intelligence officers since the Salisbury poisonings in 2018, revoking the accreditation of several Russian diplomats in response to the harassment and expulsion of British diplomats, removing diplomatic status from Russian properties believed to be used in intelligence activities, and limiting the length of visas granted to Russian diplomats. 

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK and our international partners have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. Since March 2022, we have sanctioned over 2000 individuals and entities, leading the charge against the Shadow Fleet and eroding Russia's war machine.

In Parliament, the Security Minister also announced that Statutory Instruments to enable the wider scheme have been laid, which will enable it to commence on 1 July 2025. This includes regulations to implement the Political Influence Tier of the scheme, which applies to all states; will allow the UK to be better informed about the nature, scale and extent of foreign influence in the UK's political system; and will strengthen our resilience against all covert foreign influence.  

The Political Tier requires the registration of any arrangement to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of any foreign power. 

Security Minister, Dan Jarvis said: 

“The Political Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will make it easier to identify covert influence and better protect against it.  

“It will also mean that MPs can verify if someone they are considering talking to is acting on behalf of a foreign government, so they can make an informed choice about whether to engage. 

“National security is the foundation of our Plan for Change, and it is our responsibility to protect the safety and interests of the UK. Now is the right time to boost transparency about foreign-directed activities, ensuring we can act swiftly and effectively."

The tool provides transparency and will have the ability to prosecute individuals for non-compliance. 

By laying these regulations today, the Government will be giving sectors three months to help them prepare for the scheme. During that time, the Government will work closely with the relevant sectors – including academia and business - to ensure they understand their obligations. Comprehensive guidance to help anyone who may need to register to understand their responsibilities under the scheme has been published online.

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS:      

Russia: 

• Russia poses a significant threat to the UK.  
• The UK's response to Russia's use of chemical weapons in Salisbury in 2018 included the expulsion of 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers by the UK, and a total of 153 expulsions, including those done by the international community.  
• The UK and its allies have attributed a number of malign cyber activity incidents in the UK to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in recent years, including targeting UK parliamentarians through spear-phishing campaigns, hack and leaks of UK-US trade documents and hacks of a UK think tank working on defending democracy against disinformation.  
• For more information on Russia's malign cyber activity: Russia's FSB malign activity: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  
• In 2024, the UK expelled the Russian Defence Attaché, an undeclared military intelligence officer, as part of a package of measures to defend against an alleged pattern of malign activity by Russia across the UK and Europe.  
• In October 2024, the Director General for MI5, in his annual threat speech, warned that the Russian Intelligence Services are on a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets through arson, sabotage and more.  
• Since the new Government took office, Russia has continued to pursue an increasingly aggressive and coordinated campaign of harassment against British diplomats, including expulsions predicated on baseless accusations.
• In March, the Russian Ambassador was summoned and informed of reciprocal action by the UK to revoke accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse.   
• Those Russian nationals resident and engaged in legitimate activity in the UK have nothing to fear from this measure which is as much intended to protect them as anyone else in our country.

Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS):

• With Parliamentary approval, it will commence in July.
• FIRS is a registration scheme under the UK's National Security Act 2023, which strengthens the resilience of the UK political system against covert foreign influence and provides greater transparency and assurance around the activities of named foreign powers or entities.   
• The Parts of the National Security Act 2023 already implemented strengthen the UK's efforts to counter state threats. They include new and reformed offences, prevention and investigation measures, as well as enhanced police powers to investigate state threats activity. These enable law enforcement and the UK's intelligence agencies to protect our people, infrastructure, economy, and values from those who seek to do us harm.   
• FIRS is a core component in our package of measures.   
• Sector-specific guidance will be provided online for individuals and organisations that need to register.  
• The UK continues to welcome open and transparent engagement from foreign governments. This scheme will play a critical role in encouraging transparency, while simultaneously deterring foreign powers that wish to pursue their aims covertly.   
• It is important to stress that those who comply and register fully and accurately with the scheme should not be regarded as a national security risk. In fact, they are supporting the resilience of the UK and its institutions in the face of state threats. Registration also does not prevent any lawful activity from taking place.   
• It would not be appropriate to comment on other foreign powers or foreign power controlled entities that may or may not be specified in the future. Where further specification is needed to protect the safety or interests of the UK, this will be done by regulation and subject to Parliamentary approval.    

Political Tier:  

• The political influence tier of the scheme requires the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of any foreign power.  
• This will allow the UK to be better informed about the nature, scale and extent of foreign influence in UK, and will strengthen the resilience of our political system against covert foreign influence
• Registrations under this tier will, in most cases, be made available on a public register.  

Enhanced Tier:  

• The Enhanced Tier of FIRS was intentionally designed to be a flexible tool which can be adapted and deployed in different ways for countries with which we have different relationships. It is not a ‘one size fits all' tool and the Government will not use it as such. 
• The scheme also contains a power to specify a foreign power, part of a foreign power, or an entity subject to foreign power control, where the Secretary of State considers it necessary to protect the safety or interests of the UK. Use of the power will be subject to Parliamentary approval.  
• This tier will require the registration of:  
• • arrangements to carry out any activities within the UK at the direction of a specified power or entity: the person making the arrangement with the specified body will be responsible for registration  
  • activities carried out in the UK by specified foreign power-controlled entities. In these circumstances, the specified entity (not a foreign power) will be responsible for registration. 
• Where appropriate, the Government may narrow the activities requiring registration under this tier. This will allow the requirements to be tailored to the risk posed by the foreign power or entity being specified.
• We will make announcements about any other foreign entities we decide to specify on the Enhanced Tier of FIRS in due course, which would then be subject to Parliamentary approval.
• For more information on the scheme: Foreign Influence Registration Scheme factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)