The UK government is planning to establish a new agency, the National Centre for Information Defence, to tackle foreign disinformation campaigns, deepfakes and other forms of hostile state-backed influence.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the plan as he stressed the need for stronger measures to protect the UK from malicious information campaigns aimed at influencing public opinion and undermining confidence in the country’s institutions.
The centre will initially operate under the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and will bring together intelligence agencies, law enforcement bodies, government departments and social media companies to detect and respond to coordinated information attacks.
It will investigate the sources of state-sponsored campaigns, track how they spread online and work to disrupt their operations, particularly where artificial intelligence is used to produce or amplify deceptive content.
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The agency will also focus on strengthening the country’s ability to withstand information attacks and helping members of the public identify manipulated or misleading material circulating online.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Burnham said the UK must prepare for increasingly sophisticated influence operations as it enters the next decade.
He pointed to Russia, accusing the Kremlin of running sustained campaigns designed to distort public perceptions of communities, institutions and political developments in Britain.
The prime minister also linked the country’s economic challenges to its vulnerability to online manipulation. He said people struggling with the rising cost of living, as well as young people who are unemployed and outside education or training, could become more susceptible to coordinated online influence.
According to Mr Burnham, addressing economic insecurity and widening access to opportunities should therefore form part of the UK’s broader national security strategy.
He said Russia spends about £1.3 billion each year on information manipulation and described several methods allegedly used by Russian agencies to influence audiences in Britain.
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These include automated social media accounts, fake websites, fabricated news reports and the imitation of the branding of 28 British institutions, including universities and the BBC.
Mr Burnham said such campaigns were designed to promote extremist narratives, deepen existing divisions and exploit tensions within British society.
He also referred to evidence of previous attempts to interfere in the 2019 UK general election and the exploitation of tragic incidents to stir public anger and unrest.
The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump criticised what he described as overly aggressive British rhetoric towards Moscow during a joint UN press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr Trump urged Britain to exercise caution in its approach to Russia. Downing Street rejected the criticism and maintained that the UK would continue to take a firm position against Russian hybrid operations and other forms of hostile activity.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said the UK and its allies remained committed to protecting their security interests and supporting Ukraine, adding that foreign pressure would not alter that position.
The UK also plans to work with other countries confronting similar disinformation threats by sharing expertise and lessons from its own efforts.
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Mr Burnham cited British assistance to Moldova in protecting its electoral process from foreign interference as an example of the type of international cooperation the new centre could support.
The government hopes the initiative will also strengthen cooperation with European countries preparing for future elections and facing the risk of external influence campaigns.
