UK Security
Lockhart noted that the Rycroft Review highlights a “fragmented and outdated patchwork” of electoral legislation. Many rules focus on formal election periods and fail to address influence activities outside them. Britain’s transparency laws, she said, are rooted in a pre-Internet era when campaigning occurred within short, clearly defined windows. “That’s no longer how influence operates,” she explained, pointing to continuous, online-driven political engagement. She added that modern interference strategies may avoid direct bribery in favour of shaping public discourse indirectly. “If I were a foreign actor, why bribe a politician when I could create a grassroots movement that shifts political dialogue in my favor?” she said.
