\n<\/p>\n
Minister says probe in response to case of ex-Reform UK lawmaker Nathan Gill, jailed for taking pro-Russia bribes.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPublished On 16 Dec 2025<\/span>16 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\nClick here to share on social media<\/p>\nshare2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK lawmaker was jailed for more than 10 years for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Reed, the UK\u2019s secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said on Tuesday that he had ordered the probe in response to the case of Nathan Gill, a former Member of the European Parliament and ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cA British politician took bribes to further the interests of the Russian regime,\u201d Reed said in the House of Commons. \u201cThis conduct is a stain on our democracy. The independent review will work to remove that stain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on November 21.<\/p>\n<p>He pleaded guilty in September to accepting thousands of euros from a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine between 2018 and 2019, and making scripted statements and television appearances at his behest.<\/p>\n<p>The case had spurred widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, with Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK party \u2013 which has been leading most polls \u2013 last month describing Gill\u2019s actions as \u201creprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Conservative MP Paul Holmes welcomed the independent review into foreign interference as a necessary step.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtecting the integrity of our democratic system from foreign interference is not a partisan issue. It goes to the heart of public trust in our elections,\u201d Holmes told the House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInterference in our elections from foreign actors is something that we must all be vigilant against.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reed, the housing minister, said the independent probe would be led by Philip Rycroft, former UK permanent secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of the review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations,\u201d said Reed, adding that Rycroft has been asked to report his findings to the government by the end of March.<\/p>\n<p>The minister noted that the British government put forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a strategy<\/a> \u201cfor modern and secure elections\u201d earlier this year in a push to address foreign interference and public distrust in the electoral system, among other issues.<\/p>\n<p>But Reed said on Tuesday that \u201cevents have shown that we need to consider whether our firewall is enough\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe independent review will look at this,\u201d he said, including by evaluating the UK\u2019s existing political finance laws, systems to identify and mitigate foreign interference, and safeguards against illicit funding streams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minister says probe in response to case of ex-Reform UK lawmaker Nathan Gill, jailed for taking pro-Russia bribes. Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Published On 16 Dec 2025<\/span>16 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\nClick here to share on social media<\/p>\nshare2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK lawmaker was jailed for more than 10 years for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Reed, the UK\u2019s secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said on Tuesday that he had ordered the probe in response to the case of Nathan Gill, a former Member of the European Parliament and ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cA British politician took bribes to further the interests of the Russian regime,\u201d Reed said in the House of Commons. \u201cThis conduct is a stain on our democracy. The independent review will work to remove that stain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on November 21.<\/p>\n<p>He pleaded guilty in September to accepting thousands of euros from a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine between 2018 and 2019, and making scripted statements and television appearances at his behest.<\/p>\n<p>The case had spurred widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, with Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK party \u2013 which has been leading most polls \u2013 last month describing Gill\u2019s actions as \u201creprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Conservative MP Paul Holmes welcomed the independent review into foreign interference as a necessary step.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtecting the integrity of our democratic system from foreign interference is not a partisan issue. It goes to the heart of public trust in our elections,\u201d Holmes told the House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInterference in our elections from foreign actors is something that we must all be vigilant against.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reed, the housing minister, said the independent probe would be led by Philip Rycroft, former UK permanent secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of the review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations,\u201d said Reed, adding that Rycroft has been asked to report his findings to the government by the end of March.<\/p>\n<p>The minister noted that the British government put forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a strategy<\/a> \u201cfor modern and secure elections\u201d earlier this year in a push to address foreign interference and public distrust in the electoral system, among other issues.<\/p>\n<p>But Reed said on Tuesday that \u201cevents have shown that we need to consider whether our firewall is enough\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe independent review will look at this,\u201d he said, including by evaluating the UK\u2019s existing political finance laws, systems to identify and mitigate foreign interference, and safeguards against illicit funding streams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minister says probe in response to case of ex-Reform UK lawmaker Nathan Gill, jailed for taking pro-Russia bribes. Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n
share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK lawmaker was jailed for more than 10 years for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Reed, the UK\u2019s secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said on Tuesday that he had ordered the probe in response to the case of Nathan Gill, a former Member of the European Parliament and ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cA British politician took bribes to further the interests of the Russian regime,\u201d Reed said in the House of Commons. \u201cThis conduct is a stain on our democracy. The independent review will work to remove that stain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on November 21.<\/p>\n<p>He pleaded guilty in September to accepting thousands of euros from a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine between 2018 and 2019, and making scripted statements and television appearances at his behest.<\/p>\n<p>The case had spurred widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, with Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK party \u2013 which has been leading most polls \u2013 last month describing Gill\u2019s actions as \u201creprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Conservative MP Paul Holmes welcomed the independent review into foreign interference as a necessary step.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtecting the integrity of our democratic system from foreign interference is not a partisan issue. It goes to the heart of public trust in our elections,\u201d Holmes told the House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInterference in our elections from foreign actors is something that we must all be vigilant against.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reed, the housing minister, said the independent probe would be led by Philip Rycroft, former UK permanent secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of the review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations,\u201d said Reed, adding that Rycroft has been asked to report his findings to the government by the end of March.<\/p>\n<p>The minister noted that the British government put forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a strategy<\/a> \u201cfor modern and secure elections\u201d earlier this year in a push to address foreign interference and public distrust in the electoral system, among other issues.<\/p>\n<p>But Reed said on Tuesday that \u201cevents have shown that we need to consider whether our firewall is enough\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe independent review will look at this,\u201d he said, including by evaluating the UK\u2019s existing political finance laws, systems to identify and mitigate foreign interference, and safeguards against illicit funding streams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minister says probe in response to case of ex-Reform UK lawmaker Nathan Gill, jailed for taking pro-Russia bribes. Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United Kingdom is launching an independent investigation into foreign interference in British politics, just weeks after a former Reform UK […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}