Starting in July 2026, anyone in the UK caught providing support to criminal proxies acting on behalf of hostile foreign governments will face prison time. Up to 14 years of it.

The law, announced on June 9, 2026, by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, explicitly names Iran, China, and Russia as the hostile states driving the need for new criminal penalties.

What the law actually does

The legislation expands the UK’s existing National Security Act to give the Home Secretary enhanced authority to designate and outright ban organizations linked to foreign states classified as hostile. Once an organization is designated, providing any form of support to it, or accepting funds from it, becomes a criminal offense.

Starmer highlighted the increasing use of criminal groups by hostile actors for surveillance and sabotage operations on British soil.

The designation power is the key mechanism here. Rather than requiring prosecutors to prove a direct link between a suspect and a foreign intelligence service, the government can preemptively label an organization as a hostile state proxy. After that, the legal burden shifts. Anyone caught supporting or financing that designated entity faces criminal liability, full stop.

This approach mirrors how terrorism-related proscription works in the UK, where supporting a banned organization is itself the offense, regardless of whether the specific support was used for violent purposes.

The political runway

This legislation did not appear out of nowhere. The groundwork was laid publicly during the King’s Speech on May 13, 2026, which signaled the government’s intent to strengthen defenses against foreign interference.

China’s inclusion on the list is politically significant. While the UK has taken a harder line on Chinese technology and investment in recent years, explicitly naming Beijing in legislation targeting hostile state proxies marks a further deterioration in the diplomatic relationship.