Foreign agents must register with UK authorities from TODAY or face jail… but Labour is accused of ‘kowtowing’ to Beijing as China is spared from the toughest rules

Agents of foreign states must register their roles in the UK from today or face the threat of jail under a new scheme.

The new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) came into effect on Tuesday as ministers look to crack down on covert action by foreign governments.

The scheme requires anyone carrying out ‘political influence activities’ on behalf of a foreign power to register with the Government or face prosecution.

The maximum penalty for not registering is five years in prison and a fine.

But Labour has been accused of ‘kowtowing’ to Beijing by excluding China from the most stringent requirements.

So far, only Iran and Russia have been placed in the ‘enhanced tier’. This requires anyone working for certain states to declare any activity, not just political work.

Senior Tories said it was ‘shameful’ that China would not be subject to the toughest rules after being left off the ‘enhanced tier’.

The Government was claimed to be on ‘bended knee’ to Beijing as it chases deeper ties with China as part of PM Sir Keir Starmer’s and Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ scramble for economic growth.

China, led by Xi Jinping, has been repeatedly accused of seeking to covertly influence British politics and academia

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pictured with Chinese vice premier He Lifeng during her visit to Beijing in January

FIRS, which cover activities such as political communications or lobbying, was introduced in 2023 as part of efforts to strengthen national security. 

China has been repeatedly accused of seeking to covertly influence British politics and academia.

A 2023 report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found China had engaged in ‘aggressive’ interference.

This included seeking to ‘penetrate or buy academia to ensure that its international narrative is advanced and criticism of China suppressed’.

Tory MP Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: ‘The Conservative government introduced measures to crack down on hostile states.

‘Then Labour quietly exempted one of the biggest of all. This Government’s systematic kowtowing to China is shameful.

‘We Conservatives will continue to keep the pressure on Labour, until they finally stop protecting Beijing and start protecting Britain.’

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, is among a group of parliamentarians to have been sanctioned by Beijing over their criticisms of China’s actions.

He said: ‘China carries out cyber attacks on the UK daily, it’s trashed the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong… threatens to invade Taiwan, supports Russia in their brutal invasion of Ukraine, supports Iran and is carrying out genocide in Xinjiang.

‘Why on earth has the Government decided China doesn’t pose a significant threat to the UK?

‘The Government seems to be on bended knee rather than standing tall in the face of the threat China poses. It’s time to call China a threat to us as they clearly are.’

Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: ‘FIRS is the latest casualty of the UK’s China policy.

‘A scheme designed to address state threats won’t include our biggest state threat, which makes about as much sense as it sounds.’

Commenting on FIRS coming into effect on Tuesday, security minister Dan Jarvis said: ‘We welcome legitimate engagement with all countries.

‘But we will not tolerate covert attempts to manipulate our political system or society.

‘FIRS scheme gives us the tools to confront growing threats to our national security, one of the foundations of our plan for change, without compromising the openness that defines our democracy.’