Foreign Regimes Increase Targeting of Critics and Dissidents in the UK

The UK is experiencing a growing campaign of attacks and intimidation by hostile states, with regimes such as Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and India increasingly using state agencies and proxy actors to target journalists, activists and exiled dissidents living in Britain. Recent reporting reveals that state-threat investigations run by MI5 increased by 48% in a year, and that there have been over 20 threat-to-life cases relating to Iran since 2022.

This activity represents a form of hybrid warfare, employing intimidation, violence, criminal proxies and intelligence operations below the threshold of armed conflict to suppress dissents, influence behaviour and undermine confidence in UK sovereignty. Despite the enactment of the National Security Act (2023) and increased MI5 investigations into state threats, victims continue to report inadequate protection and inconsistent law enforcement responses.

The recent introduction of the National Security (State Threats) Bill represents a positive step towards strengthening the UK's ability to counter hostile state activity by providing new powers to target state-linked organisations and proxy groups. However, the effectiveness of the legislation will ultimately depend on its implementation and enforcement. Failure to do so effectively will risk further emboldening hostile states to expand transnational repression and erode public confidence.