Tracking Money and Influence in the UK and Europe

In the UK, Europe and beyond, new forms of authoritarian influences are increasing, embedding themselves into social, political and legal infrastructures. At the forefront is the exploitation of identity-based issues, from gender and migration to LGBTQIA+, to undermine equality protections and attack democratic and human rights advancements. This ‘anti-rights’ agenda, rooted in far-right ideologies often tied to ultra-religious and conservative values, proliferated around the globe. Although even a few years ago anti-rights mobilisation garnered little attention (considering decades of progressive norms and rights establishment), the growing threats it poses for countries across Europe today can no longer be ignored. The manifestation of anti-rights mobilisation has taken new forms, functioning as a form of authoritarian influence, involving a multitude of state and non-state actors. The overall objective is the weakening of democratic institutions, resilience and social cohesion. While neither anti-rights nor authoritarian trends are new to the UK and Europe, as they are also a homegrown phenomenon as well, there are increasing and diverse foreign and domestic actors fuelling the rise of these manifestations.

The aim of this paper is to assess anti-rights mobilisation as a transnational and hybrid threat, examining the role of foreign actors, money and influence streams, and their impacts on the UK. It highlights how foreign support, particularly from Russia and the US, contributes to the spread and intensification of anti-rights narratives, social sentiments, and radical ideologies within the UK and Europe more generally – becoming a key part of the global authoritarian playbook and posing national and international security concerns. These trends are among the hybrid threats arguably regarded as 'malign' by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry.

To achieve this, the paper answers the following key questions:

• What state and non-state actors are involved in shaping and funding these activities?
• What is the tangible impact of transnational anti-rights mobilisation on security?
• Why is this an important issue for the UK and others to consider from a security perspective, rather than a question of opposing values?

Recent investigative efforts have started to uncover and analyse the key actors, influence networks and methods, and impact of anti-rights mobilisation and role of foreign actors in not only targeting, but also bolstering, anti-rights dynamics in the UK and Europe. This paper goes beyond mapping and identifying anti-rights dynamics, focusing on exploring the national security impact of this mobilisation in the UK. The paper offers a concise framing of anti-rights mobilisation as a challenge to resilience, then centres on the channels fuelling it and the resulting impact on the UK. Case studies further demonstrate where and how these dynamics manifest, and expand on their social, political and legislative impact. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges and complexities of countering this threat and presents recommendations for UK and European policymakers to mitigate and address it.