London. Britain's government is placing Russia on the top tier of a government security program aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence, the security minister said Tuesday.

Home Office minister Dan Jarvis told lawmakers that anyone or any company “carrying out activity as part of any arrangement” with Russian authorities -- including government agencies, armed forces, intelligence services, and the parliament -- will need to register with the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme from July 1 or face five years in prison.

Russian political parties that are controlled by the Russian government, including the United Russia party, will also need to declare what they are doing before they can carry out activity in the UK directly, authorities said.

Britain's government said the program is a key tool for the “detection and disruption of harmful activity against our country.”

“For too long, the Kremlin has been responsible for unacceptable threats to our national security," Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said. “The new measures will make it harder for Russia to conduct hostile acts against us in future."

Jarvis cited hostile Russian acts in recent years including the use of the deadly nerve agent Novichok to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in 2018, the targeting of British members of Parliament through cyberattacks, and other espionage tactics.

“And clearly Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has highlighted its intent to undermine European and global security,” he added.

Britain has expelled more than 20 Russian intelligence officers since 2018 and several Russian diplomats in response to what it called harassment of British diplomats.

Last month, three Bulgarians based in Britain were convicted of spying for Russia on what police called “an industrial scale.”

Iran was the first country to be listed under the program earlier this month. Lawmakers have questioned for months why China isn't included.

“There is no question, in my mind, China should be in that enhanced tier,” said Chris Philp of the opposition Labour Party. "We know China engages in industrial-scale espionage, seeking to steal technology from government, universities and from industries. They repress Chinese citizens here and have sought to infiltrate our political system.”

Jarvis did not directly respond, only saying that his government is taking a “long-term and strategic approach” to managing its relationship with China.

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