23 Rejected

We recommend the Electoral Commission, Metropolitan Police Service and National Crime Agency provide an annual...

Recommendation
We recommend the Electoral Commission, Metropolitan Police Service and National Crime Agency provide an annual resourcing update to this Committee. This should set out their resourcing levels and the extent to which these are adequate to deliver on objectives to deter, investigate and prosecute the use of impermissible foreign money in the political finance system. This should be superseded by the Political Finance Enforcement Unit once that is in place. (Recommendation, Paragraph 124) 42
Government Response Summary
The government recognizes the importance of adequate resourcing but does not consider an annual resourcing update to the Committee the most appropriate mechanism, suggesting broader system-wide reviews instead.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government Rejected
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that those responsible for deterring, investigating and prosecuting offences related to impermissible foreign money are appropriately resourced and supported, and that there is clear accountability for the effectiveness of these efforts. We agree with the Committee’s underlying objective of maintaining confidence that the enforcement system is capable of responding to evolving threats, and we note the intent behind proposals for more structured reporting to Parliament. We also recognise the Committee’s forward-looking reference to the establishment of a Political Finance Enforcement Unit and the benefits that a more coordinated and visible enforcement capability could bring to this area. However, the Government does not consider that a formalised requirement for annual resourcing updates to this Committee is the most appropriate mechanism to deliver this objective. Wider policing reforms—most notably the establishment of a new National Police Service (NPS), which will in due course incorporate Counter Terrorism Policing functions—present a significant opportunity to strengthen and rationalise the national approach to complex threats, including foreign interference in UK democratic processes. This reform programme will support a more coherent and strategic approach to capability, resourcing and operational coordination across relevant agencies, enabling more consistent oversight and the development of specialist expertise. Within this context, we consider that resourcing and capability questions should be addressed as part of broader, system-wide reviews of enforcement structures rather than through separate, bespoke reporting arrangements.
Addressee Bodies
Cabinet Office
Timeline
Recommendation age 0.4 yrs
Report published 18 Mar 2026