UK Unveils State Threats Bill Targeting Foreign State-Linked Groups
The UK introduced the National Security (State Threats) Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, authorizing the home secretary to designate foreign state-linked groups and to criminalize support for them.[1]
The measure targets bodies engaged in defined "foreign power threat activity" and makes providing support to or accepting money from designated groups punishable by up to 14 years in prison.[1] Officials said the powers could be used against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though ministers have not announced any specific designations.[1] MI5 has tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots in the UK and reported a 35% rise in state-threat investigations, trends ministers cited in pushing the bill.[1]
The National Security Act 2023 received royal assent in July 2023, updating espionage laws but leaving no mechanism to designate whole foreign state-linked organisations. In March 2025 the government placed the Iranian state, including the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, on an enhanced tier of a foreign influence registration scheme after officials warned of legal gaps. Lawmakers say the State Threats Bill models designation powers and new offences on terrorist proscription to close that remaining loophole.
The United States designated the IRGC in 2019, Canada followed in 2024, and the European Union listed the corps as a terrorist group by February 2026, a pattern ministers cite in arguing for alignment.
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant public support for the State Threats Bill, particularly among British Jews, where polling indicates 93% favor the proscription of the IRGC. This sentiment is echoed by advocacy groups like the Community Security Trust, which have long campaigned for such measures. Additionally, while the summary notes the bill's intent to model its designation powers on terrorist proscription, it overlooks the broader context of hybrid warfare and transnational threats, particularly from authoritarian regimes like Iran. Analysts argue that the IRGC's activities represent a conscious strategy of transnational repression, as highlighted by MI5's threat assessments and parliamentary discussions. This framing suggests that the legislation is not just a response to specific incidents, but part of a larger strategy to counteract evolving state-sponsored threats that have increasingly blurred the lines between traditional warfare and covert operations, as noted in discussions about the limitations of current counterterrorism frameworks.[2]
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📊 Relevant Data
As of February 2026, the European Union designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization; the United States did so in 2019 and Canada in 2024.
The EU's IRGC terrorist designation marks a major shift on Iran — Chatham House
📌 Key Facts
- On or about Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the UK introduced the National Security (State Threats) Bill in Parliament.
- The bill allows the home secretary to designate foreign state-linked organizations involved in defined "foreign power threat activity."
- Providing support to or accepting money from designated groups could carry prison sentences of up to 14 years.
- MI5 has tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots in the UK and a 35% increase in state-threat investigations.
- The legislation could be used against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but no specific designations have been announced.
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