UK House of Lords pass Government amends to Foreign Influence Registration Scheme plans

Lords pass Government amends to Foreign Influence Registration Scheme plans – Bond reacts  

Last night (7 March) the House of Lords agreed to government amendments to the National Security Bill which included narrowing the scope of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).

These amendments will significantly reduce the number of INGOs required to register their advocacy activities via the FIRS.

The Minister states that it is not enough for a foreign power to fund an activity, the activity needs to be “directed by a foreign power” to be covered by the regulation.

In reaction to the amendments, Stephanie Draper, CEO of Bond said: 

“We welcome the government amendments to the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which Bond and many supportive peers across the House of Lords heavily advocated for.

These changes will mean that far fewer development and humanitarian organisations carrying out advocacy work will unnecessarily be captured by the new regulation and alleviates our wider concerns about the impact this could have had on campaigning.”