Parliamentary groups under threat from 'hostile foreign actors' and commercial lobbying, report finds

• APPGs could become "a backdoor means of peddling influence" without new limits, a report has found.
• Restrictions on funding and who manages groups should be considered, the Standards Committee said.

Limits should be imposed on who can manage all party parliamentary groups (APPGS), a group of senior MPs has said, amid a warning they could be used as a "front" by hostile actors or commercial lobbyists.

APPGs are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within parliament. However there is growing concern they are being misused as vehicles to get access, influence, or preferential treatment within the UK political system.

Chris Bryant, chair of the Standards Committee, warned that if measures aren't taken to better protect APPGs, they risk becoming "a backdoor means of peddling influence around the corridors of power or pursuing a commercial interest".

Possible restrictions on the secretariats — who run the back office — include an outright ban on external groups, including charities, the committee's report suggests. Alternatively, specific organizations, such as lobbying firms, could be excluded.

Foreign governments could also be prohibited from funding secretariats and MPs could be banned from attending trips paid for by a foreign government, and other restrictions.

Bryant's committee highlighted the case of Christine Lee — named by MI5 earlier this year as suspected Chinese agent — whose involvement with the Chinese in Britain APPG had "brought these issues to the fore."

More recently, Insider revealed that Qatar's foreign ministry sought to influence its country-specific APPG by having "eased out" the incumbent Liberal Democrat chairman, who was then replaced a Conservative former minister.

Qatar also requested a change to the long-term secretariat, resulting in a hedge fund taking over operations.

"The expert evidence we have received to our inquiry shows that the risk of improper access and influence by hostile foreign actors through APPGs is real, though difficult to measure," the report said. "There is also evidence the risk has already materialized."

The report also called for action to be taken to address the spiraling number of APPGs — which now stands at 744, more than the number of MPs in the House of Commons — in order to reduce vulnerability to security risks.

APPGs should also become more transparent, the report said, including making clear the "ultimate funder" of the group and removing the £1,500 ($1,885) threshold for registering benefits or benefits in kind.

MPs will now consult on the next steps.

"Today's report represents a wake-up call for us all. The evidence we have gathered is chilling and points towards an urgent need for the House to take action," said Bryant.

"Parliament always has, and always will, be a target for hostile foreign states. But with better regulation and transparency around these informal groups, we can ensure they continue to make a positive contribution to our democracy."

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said he had "for several years" been concerned about the security risks posed by APPGs "in terms of their indiscriminate engagement with state actors hostile to UK interests."

He added: "I have also had fears about the proliferation of such groups, the influence of lobbyists over them, and the lack of transparency and regulation about their activities.

"I'm told the proposals are currently being consulted on, and it will ultimately be a matter for the House as a whole to make final decisions on how to better regulate these groups to safeguard Parliament."