Labour has woken up to the threat to democracy - but how far will it go to curb overseas influence?

Russia has been attempting to meddle with western democracy for years, but successive governments led by Boris Johnson and others have insisted the UK’s electoral system can withstand its influence.

- Rowena Mason

That argument was recently blown apart by the conviction of the former Reform politician Nathan Gill, who was jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes to advance Russian arguments.

Now Steve Reed, the minister responsible for elections, has admitted there are worries the UK’s firewall against foreign interference may not be strong enough as he ordered an independent review.

Clearly, the decision was partly motivated by the chance to score political points against Reform over its links to the Russian bribes case. Yet there is no doubting the reality of the threat, even if it has until recently been ignored.