UK to investigate foreign interference in politics after Russia bribery scandal

The British government has announced an independent review into foreign financial interference in politics, after a former member of the right-wing Reform UK party was convicted of taking bribes from Russia.

The inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the UK's political finance laws and safeguards against illicit foreign money, Communities Secretary Steve Reed said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes almost a month after Nathan Gill, a former Reform UK leader in Wales and an ex-MEP, was jailed for more than 10 years for accepting bribes to make favourable statements about Russia in the European Parliament.

Gill, 52, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between December 2018 and July 2019. Police estimated that he took about £40,000 (€46,000) to promote Russian interests.

"The facts are clear. A British politician took bribes to further the interests of the Russian regime," Reed said in a statement. "This conduct is a stain on our democracy. The independent review will work to remove that stain."

Following Gill's conviction, Reform UK said his actions were "reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable."

The party has only five MPs in the UK's 650-seat parliament but regularly tops opinion polls.

The independent review will be led by former senior civil Philip Rycroft, who will deliver his findings at the end of March.

It will build on the launch last month of a new plan to disrupt and deter spying from states, according to the government. That will see intelligence services deliver security briefings to political parties and election candidates and work with professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to make them a more hostile environment for spies.

Announcing the review, the government also referenced another major case of political interference in British politics, involving London-based lawyer Christine Lee.

In 2022, MI5 issued a security alert to all lawmakers warning that Lee was "involved in political interference activities" in the UK on behalf of China's Communist Party.

Although not charged with any criminal offence, Lee later sued MI5, arguing that its alert was politically motivated and violated her human rights. She lost the case last year.

On Monday, the new head of the UK's foreign intelligence service, MI6, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin's determination to export chaos around the world is rewriting the rules of conflict and creating new security challenges.

Blaise Metreweli used her first public speech to say that the UK faces increasingly unpredictable and interconnected threats, with emphasis on an "aggressive, expansionist" Russia.