The National Security Act 2023 (Foreign Activities and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: Publication) Regulations 2025

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Part 4 of the National Security Act 2023 (c. 32) contains the foreign activities and foreign influence registration scheme. Four categories of activities or arrangements are required to be registered with the Secretary of State under the scheme:

(1) foreign activity arrangements (section 65),

(2) certain activities of persons specified in relation to the regime (section 68),

(3) foreign influence arrangements (section 69), and

(4) certain political influence activities of foreign powers where there is misrepresentation (section 72).

The National Security Act 2023 (Foreign Activities and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: Information and Disclosure) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/408) set out the information that must be registered.

These Regulations require some, but not all, of that information to be published (regulation 3 of, and the Schedules to, these Regulations), subject to the exceptions provided in regulation 6. Publication is only required in relation to registrations under sections 65 and 68 of the Act where the activities in question consist of political influence activities, as defined in section 70.

Regulation 4 requires publication to take place as soon as practicable.

Publication must cease within ten years of a date linked to the date at which the arrangements or activities come to an end (regulation 5).

Regulation 6 provides exceptions to the duty to publish, or to continue to publish, on various public interest grounds.

A full impact assessment of the effect that the scheme will have on the costs of business, the voluntary sector and the public sector was published in relation to the National Security Act 2023 and is available on www.gov.uk(1) or by writing to the State Threats Unit, Homeland Security Group, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street SW1P 4DF.

(1)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-bill-overarching-documents/impact-assessment-foreign-influence-registration-scheme-accessible.