Foreign Policy Legislation
Legislative framework for international relations, diplomatic affairs, treaties, and overseas development assistance.
The National Security Act 2023 (Foreign Activities and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: Publication) Regulations 2025
These regulations mandate the Secretary of State to publish information from the National Security Act 2023's foreign activities and foreign influence registration scheme on a public website. Publication includes details of registered foreign activity and foreign influence arrangements, subject to exceptions for national security, crime prevention, individual safety, and commercially sensitive information.
The information remains published for up to ten years, depending on the arrangement's duration.
The regulations specify precisely which information must be made public for each registration type.
The Antarctic (Amendment) Regulations 2025
The Antarctic (Amendment) Regulations 2025 revise the 1995 Antarctic Regulations to reflect decisions from four recent Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.
The regulations update the lists of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and Antarctic Historic Sites and Monuments (AHSMs), adding new sites and revising existing descriptions.
Several ASPAs and AHSMs have been removed, with revised descriptions provided for others.
New sites are added, along with updated geographical coordinates and descriptions that improve management and conservation.
The Register of Overseas Entities (Annotation) Regulations 2025
The Register of Overseas Entities (Annotation) Regulations 2025 empower the registrar to add notes to the register concerning dissolved overseas entities or those that have failed to comply with information requirements.
These annotations enhance transparency and aid enforcement of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 and the Companies Act 2006.
The regulations extend to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and came into effect on June 30, 2025.
The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2025
This Order modifies the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014 to extend whistleblower protection to individuals disclosing information about sanctions-related activities undertaken by the Secretaries of State for Business and Trade, Transport, and the Treasury.
This expansion ensures greater accountability and transparency within the government's sanctions regime.
The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Social Security Co-ordination) (Compatibility) Regulations 2025
The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Social Security Co-ordination) (Compatibility) Regulations 2025, effective June 4, 2025, ensure the compatibility of UK domestic law with retained EU law concerning social security coordination.
Specifically, it mandates compatibility between several UK insolvency and debt arrangement acts and relevant articles of EU Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009, preserving international agreements on cross-border social security and debt recovery.
The Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) (Recognition of Qualifications) Order 2025
This Order, made under the Scotland Act 1998, specifies functions of the Scottish Ministers related to the UK National Information Centre (UK ENIC) for recognizing UK and non-UK qualifications.
It allows the Scottish Ministers to enter into agency arrangements with a Minister of the Crown to manage this service, including contracting and fee administration.
The functions are linked to international agreements on qualification recognition, such as the 1997 and 2019 Conventions.
The Order extends to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and takes effect on July 1st, 2025.
The Aviation Security (Amendment) Regulations 2025
The Aviation Security (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective June 23, 2025, amend existing aviation security legislation.
Specifically, they remove Chapters 3 (aircraft security) and 7 (air carrier mail and air carrier materials) from Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998.
The regulations apply to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and were signed by Mike Kane, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.
The Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 Power Station (Amendment) Order 2025
The Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 Power Station (Amendment) Order 2025, effective April 28th, 2025, amends the 2015 Order.
It clarifies the definition of "processed municipal solid waste" within the 2015 Order by including waste types specified in several EU decisions (2000/532/EC, 2001/118/EC, 2001/119/EC, 2001/573/EC, and 2014/955/EU).
This change addresses an application for non-material change, aiming for better clarity in waste processing regulations within the power station's operation.