Burnham announces plan for new UK center to fight disinformation
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday he has ordered security chiefs to begin work on a new national center ”to detect, attribute and disrupt” hostile state disinformation.
Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, in his first address there as prime minister, Burnham said the United Kingdom would use its experience to help other countries.
“As more elections approach across Europe, more nations are grappling with these issues – some for the first time,” he said. “So we’re ready to share our understanding of how these actors work, and how we can respond — because this is vital for our collective security and resilience.”
The move could consolidate work now spread across several government departments, though Burnham gave few details about the ultimate shape of what he called the National Centre for Information Defence.
The Cabinet Office is understood to be leading the initial work, with intelligence agencies, other government departments, law enforcement and social media companies involved in determining how the center could operate.
His announcement comes as European governments increasingly describe Russian cyberattacks, sabotage and influence operations as part of a broader hybrid campaign.
