Britain will no longer “tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals to do their dirty work,” Sir Keir Starmer has vowed, while announcing a new law allowing the government to treat foreign proxies like terrorist groups.
“Where foreign states are found to be engaging in activity that threatens lives or undermines our democratic institutions, we must ensure that such actions have consequences,” he added.
The Prime Minister was referring to the new National Security (State Threats) Bill, which was laid in Parliament on Tuesday in response to a wave of arson attacks and other crimes that investigations have linked to groups acting on behalf of hostile states.
Shorts
Sir Keir pointed to the series of fires targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions in London during March and April, which were claimed by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia.
