Anni has worked across commercial, political and not for profit sectors in her 25 years as a public relations consultant. Her client list has included such diverse organisations as a radiator manufacturer, local council, science start-ups and even a synchronised swimming team.
Most recently she has been focused on the campaigning sector. As Campaign Manager for the Equal Civil Partnerships Campaign she is part of the team who succeeded in introducing mixed-sex civil partnerships in England and Wales at the end of 2019.
Foreign interference in Elections Review - Reaction
On the 16th December 2025, the Government announced areviewinto foreign financial interference in UK politics, examining the vulnerabilities and loopholes in our current systems and how we can safeguard political parties and politicians through strengthening regulations.
The review will be carried out by Philip Rycroft with recommendations to be received by the end of March, which will then feed in to the Elections Bill to be published in 2026.
The terms of reference are:
Examine the effectiveness of political finance laws and current checks and balances within the UK’s political regulation in identifying and mitigating foreign interference and bribery.
Consider whether political finance laws could be strengthened in light of recent case studies on covert funding and foreign interference, including specific consideration of strengthening criminal enforcement measures.
Specifically consider safeguards against illicit funding streams including the use of difficult-to-trace assets such as crypto-currencies, cash and third parties using foreign funding for political campaigns and advertising.
Review the rules governing the constitution and regulation of political parties, and the Electoral Commission’s enforcement powers.
Reaction from the Resilient Democracy Network
Rose Zussman, Senior Policy Manager at Transparency International UK said:
"The government's urgent review into foreign interference in UK politics is a welcome recognition of the serious threat that hostile foreign actors pose to our democracy, though some of these issues are already well-known and can be addressed sooner. It's clear there are a range of actors seeking to buy influence in our democracy, including foreign governments, and for relatively small amounts of money.
"Without limits on how much any individual or organisation can donate, and in the context of increasingly high spending on election campaigns, political parties are becoming ever more reliant on a small pool of wealthy donors. In the dash for cash, politicians risk turning a blind eye to donors’ dubious backgrounds, providing a clear route for those without Britain’s interests at heart to buy access and influence in politics.
"The government should use the upcoming elections bill to introduce a cap on political donations. This is the only way to break the stranglehold of big money over British politics and ensure that no single donor – foreign or domestic – can wield outsized influence over our democracy."
Spotlight on Corruption said:
It is highly welcome that the government has launched an independent review into foreign interference in our politics. We have long called for an inquiry into, and more transparency about, the scale and nature of such interference.
This review could not come at a more crucial time after recent influence efforts by China and Russia have been exposed, and as the US has highlighted its intention to focus on “cultivating resistance” within European countries.
We urge the government to make sure that Philip Rycroft has the powers and scope to follow the evidence on foreign interference. In particular, he must have a full remit to take a wide-ranging look at:
Weaknesses in our lobbying rules, including the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), that allow secretive access to MPs and ministers
How foreign influence operations use gaps in the system, from ‘Friends of’ groups and APPGs to funding think tanks and paying for foreign trips for MPs to influence UK political opinion
The wider social media landscape, including whether there is a need for wider regulation of social media algorithms in relation to political content, and greater powers for the Electoral Commission to get information from social media companies
The lack of criminal enforcement of political finance rules as well as of the FIRS
How the forthcoming Elections Bill can be strengthened by the introduction of annual spending limits and transparency for political parties and campaigners, a ban on crypto donations, an upper limit on donations to any one party to protect party finance being captured by a few multi-millionaire individuals, and a tougher criminal offence for impermissible donations made via a third party.
Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, said:
“This review must be a meaningful and no-holds-barred stocktake of the vulnerabilities in our system.
“It isa major opportunity to make the forthcoming Elections Bill as robust as possible to ensure that UK politics and UK elections are run to represent the interests of British voters and are not swayed by the influence of hostile foreign powers or multi-millionaires with their own political agendas.
“But it must also go broader and look at whether our lobbying rules are fit for purpose, our social media is regulated in a way that allows a level playing field for political activity, and our criminal enforcement is properly resourced and skilled to tackle foreign interference.”
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