UK to create National Centre for Information Defence, Burnham says

In a speech to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday night, Burnham said the centre would bring together intelligence agencies, law enforcement and social media companies. It will be tasked with ensuring the UK has the defensive capability to combat information warfare and build national resilience by helping communities identify and counter disinformation, preventing a “distorted and untrue” narrative about the UK.

Burnham said the country must enter the next decade “eyes wide open” about “insidious” campaigns, many orchestrated by Russia, which he said “twisted” what people at home felt about their own country and community. He suggested Britons struggling with the cost of living and young people not in education, training or employment may be particularly susceptible to foreign influence online, adding that inequality further undermined society.

“We’re talking about an insidious campaign that reaches into people’s homes and twists what they feel about their own country and community – creating a narrative of decline, stoking division and sowing despair,” he said. He added that cyber-attacks on UK companies and institutions had occurred, AI would multiply the threat, and Britain had “tiptoed around this for too long.” “Over the last decade we have given too much ground to those who want to run a negative, corrosive narrative about life in Britain, which bears no resemblance to reality. Well, no more,” he said.

“We are going to face the new decade in a different way – with our eyes wide open,” Burnham said. He said the UK would be “much prouder in standing up for our values and the rule of law” and would help people strengthen resilience. “Faced with this information warfare, security starts in every home.”

The speech came after Donald Trump, during a press conference at the UN with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Keir Starmer’s rhetoric had been “too tough” toward Moscow and that London “needs to be a little bit careful.” Downing Street pushed back on the US president’s remarks, saying every UK prime minister – up to and including Burnham – had been consistent in the view that Russia’s threats, whether hybrid attacks or rhetoric, were “egregious and unacceptable.” The prime minister’s official spokesperson added that the UK was united with allies on defending itself and that Russia’s aggression would not deter support for Ukraine.

In his speech, Burnham singled out Russia, saying the Kremlin spent around £1.3bn each year on manipulating information. He said Russian agencies had used bots, fake websites and falsified newspaper articles, forged the branding of 28 British organisations including universities and the BBC, amplified far-right narratives, and, according to evidence, tried to interfere with the 2019 general election. He also said they had tried to stoke tensions and unrest after horrific events. “The idea that anyone would try to use such things to their advantage is just repulsive – but it is what they do,” he said.

Burnham said groups who felt their lives were not improving could be more vulnerable to disinformation and deepfakes. “If you’re struggling with the cost of living and your life is not improving – or if you’re a young person not in employment, education or training – then you are going to be much more vulnerable to this kind of influence,” he said. He said part of the challenge was to lift people up and create opportunities, warning that when inequalities grow too wide, societies are at greater risk. He said the government would work to make life more affordable and put in place the architecture needed to “stem this poisonous tide.”

The UK plans to share its experience of being targeted by information attacks with other countries and has already supported Moldova, for example, to protect its elections from Russian interference. Burnham said that as more elections approach across Europe, more nations are grappling with these issues, some for the first time, and that the UK was ready to share its understanding of how these actors work and how to respond. He said this was vital for collective security and resilience.