Committee publication · Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Correspondence from the Minister of State for International Development and Africa relating to National Security (State Threats) Bill: implications for humanitarian organisations and development delivery, 7 July 2026
Summary
Baroness Chapman responds to the International Development Committee's concerns about the National Security (State Threats) Bill's potential impact on humanitarian organisations. The Government defends the Bill's scope, confirms it does not intend to criminalise legitimate aid work, and details statutory defences for humanitarian activity added during Lords scrutiny, including express defences to sections 17B and 17C and a reasonable excuse defence for receiving information.
Key findings
- Government confirms new statutory defence for legitimate humanitarian aid activity in sections 17B and 17C of the National Security Act 2023, addressing concerns about organisations engaging with designated bodies for visa, utilities, or transit payments
- Additional reasonable excuse defence introduced for obtaining, accepting or agreeing to accept information from a designated body, with examples including journalists conducting interviews and charities receiving landmine location data
- Government rejected a blanket humanitarian exemption, arguing it could create abuse opportunities; instead adopted targeted statutory protections within specific offence sections
- Government commits to ongoing stakeholder engagement with humanitarian organisations, delivery partners and the financial sector during implementation and post-Royal Assent
Government position
The Government accepts that legitimate humanitarian activity must be protected and has partially accepted the Committee's concerns by introducing targeted statutory defences rather than a blanket exemption. The Government maintains that the Bill's purpose is to tackle state threat actors, not criminalise good-faith humanitarian work, and believes the combination of existing safeguards and new defences provides robust protection while preserving legislative effectiveness.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Sarah Champion MP, International Development Committee, UK Government, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, NGOs, Humanitarian organisations
Notable line
“… it is neither the intention nor the effect of these provisions to impede legitimate humanitarian activity.”
Key Quotes
“The purpose of the Bill is to tackle activity that supports state threat actors and poses a risk to the UK's safety and interests, not to crim- inalise humanitarian, peacebuilding or development work carried out in good faith.”
“We recognise the reality that humanitarian organisations often operate in environments where engagement with state authorities is unavoidable, and where certain payments such as for visas, utilities, or transit; may be required.”
“… a blanket exemption could create opportunities for abuse by those seeking to conceal harmful activity behind apparently legitimate organisations.”
“… the combination of the offences' existing safe- guards and the new humanitarian and reasonable excuse defences provides robust pro- tection for legitimate humanitarian activity whilst preserving the effectiveness of the legis- lation in addressing state threats activity.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗