UK law to crack down on hostile state proxies to take effect next month
Britain said on Tuesday that a law targeting proxies acting for hostile states such as Iran will come into force next month. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government will not tolerate hostile actors paying criminals to threaten lives or undermine democratic institutions.
Britain said on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, that a law targeting proxies acting for hostile states such as Iran is expected to come into force next month, as the government steps up powers to counter what it says is a growing threat posed by such groups.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: "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."
Starmer added: "We will not tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals to do their dirty work."
The announcement comes a day after UK police warned that drug gangs are "cuckooing" hundreds of homes weekly, a practice in which criminals take over the properties of vulnerable people to use as bases for illegal activity.