UK to create national centre for information defence

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered security chiefs to begin work on a new national centre to detect, attribute and disrupt hostile state disinformation. He announced the National Centre for Information Defence in his first address to the UN General Assembly as prime minister.

The Cabinet Office is leading the initial work, with intelligence agencies, law enforcement, other government departments and social media companies involved in shaping how the centre will operate. Burnham said the UK would share its experience with other countries as more European elections approach.

Burnham accused Russian agencies of using bots and fake websites, falsifying newspaper articles and copying the branding of 28 British organisations, including universities and the BBC. He said the Kremlin spends around £1.3 billion a year on manipulating information.

Sophie Williams-Dunning of RUSI said the UK has been overdue a more coherent strategic response, but cautioned there is a difference between a centre inside the Cabinet Office and an agency accountable to Parliament. Joe Devanny of King’s College London said it is unclear whether the body will rebadge existing work or represent a significant rethink.