UK Developing New Law To Prevent Foreign Interference - Home Secretary

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2022) The United Kingdom is working on a new legislation to counteract foreign meddling in the country's domestic affairs, Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Monday.

Last week, UK media reported that the UK Security Service (MI5) issued an alert about alleged political interference on behalf of China by London-based lawyer Christine Lee, who contacted various UK lawmakers. Speaking before the House of Commons, Patel said that such alerts could become more commonplace.

"We are developing new national security legislation to make it even harder for a malign state to conduct such activities," Patel said, adding that the new legislation will give the national security services and law enforcement agencies necessary instruments to combat a full range of state threats.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied the interference allegations, claiming that people who came up with them did so "after seeing too many James bond movies."