Tougher measures on foreign political influence will come into force overnight (1 October) to ensure our democracy operates in the interests of working people, not hostile actors who seek to cause division.
A 3 month ‘grace period’ window has been in place since 1 July to give legitimate businesses and individuals time to register before midnight on 1 October, to remain compliant with the law.
From this point, those acting in the UK on behalf of foreign states who do not register will face criminal sanctions.
Individuals working undeclared for Iran and Russia could face up to 5 years in prison. Both countries are currently on an enhanced tier, on the grounds of presenting an elevated national security risk.
Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said:
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme sends a clear message: the UK will not tolerate covert foreign influence in our democracy.
I urge all individuals and organisations conducting political influence on behalf of foreign powers to meet their legal obligations without delay.
Designating Russia and Iran under the enhanced tier ensures we can detect, disrupt, and deter hostile state activity. Those who fail to register risk up to 5 years in prison.
FIRS does 3 things: provides transparency of foreign state influence in the UK, deters harmful covert state threat activity, and increases the opportunity for earlier disruptions by the police and MI5. It is a two-tier scheme: the political tier requires registration of any arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK on behalf of a foreign power, including political communications or lobbying senior decision-makers, such as MPs and election candidates.
A more stringent enhanced tier applies to foreign powers considered to pose a risk to the UK’s safety or interests, which can require the registration of all activities. So far, Russia and Iran have been placed on this tier, after being approved by Parliament. This was in response to being identified as presenting an elevated national security risk, and anyone working for these states in the UK will need to declare their activities or risk prosecution and imprisonment.
Arrangements made on or after 1 July need to be registered within 28 days of an agreement being made for the political tier, and within 10 days of an agreement being made for the enhanced tier.
Exemptions are in place for recognised diplomatic work, legal representation, and accredited journalism to ensure the scheme remains targeted and proportionate. Failure to comply with registration requirements may result in a prison sentence of up to 2 years for the political tier, and 5 years for the enhanced tier. These penalties reflect the seriousness of the government’s commitment to protecting national security.
FIRS ensures that those seeking to influence UK political outcomes on behalf of foreign states do so transparently, drawing a clear line between legitimate international engagement and the covert activity that erodes public confidence in democratic decision-making.
All relevant individuals and organisations must register as required by law.
The scheme is still new, and registrations relating to political influence activity will appear on the public register once they have been processed and reviewed by the FIRS Case Management Team.
Some types of registrations will not be published: including arrangements where publication could prejudice commercial interests or present a risk to safety. Enhanced tier registrations will not appear on the public register, except where they concern political influence activities.
As transparency is a foundational principle of the scheme, the government will publish an annual report on the scheme setting out, among other things, the total numbers of registrations made under each tier.
Register and view arrangements with foreign powers in the UK
