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New legislation poised to enhance the UK’s national security framework could soon empower the home secretary to label certain foreign state-linked entities, such as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as threats to the nation’s security. Introduced to Parliament under the National Security (State Threats) Bill just recently, this law could be enacted within a matter of weeks, marking a significant shift in how the government addresses covert actions by foreign powers.
The bill grants Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, authority to designate organizations involved in activities deemed as “foreign power threat activity,” which encompasses actions like assassination attempts, espionage, and sabotage. It also introduces three new criminal offenses related to these designations: supporting a designated state threat organization, assisting such groups, and receiving material benefits from them. This legislative move follows recommendations from Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation, who highlighted challenges in banning groups like the IRGC outright as terrorist organizations.
Recent examples underline the urgency of this legislative development. Over the past year, individuals have been convicted for spying on Hong Kong dissidents on behalf of China, conducting an arson attack targeting a Ukrainian warehouse linked to the Russian Wagner group, and attacking an opposition journalist in Wimbledon with ties to Iran. Notably, the perpetrators of the latter two acts were motivated by financial gain, pointing to a troubling pattern where hostile foreign states not only deploy their intelligence services but also employ criminal proxies connected to state-linked organizations. These dynamics exposed limitations in the National Security Act 2023, which primarily targeted foreign intelligence agencies but did not adequately cover these expanding threats.
The government’s response has been resolute. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the need for accountability, stating, “Where foreign states are found to be engaging in activity that threatens lives or undermines our democratic institutions, we must ensure that such actions have consequences. We will not tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals to do their dirty work.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood echoed this urgency, asserting that foreign states are adopting increasingly aggressive tactics against UK communities and institutions while concealing their involvement through proxies, making it imperative for the law to evolve accordingly. High-ranking security officials, including MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum, have underscored the threat, citing more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots tracked in the past year alone. The bill, fast-tracked in response to recent attacks on Jewish targets linked to a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin, is viewed within Whitehall as a necessary enhancement to the national security apparatus established only three years prior. According to the bill’s impact assessment, it is anticipated that fewer than 10 organizations will be designated as state threats within the first year post-enactment
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