UK announces National Centre for Information Defence to counter Russian disinformation

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the UN General Assembly he has ordered work on a National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute, and disrupt hostile-state disinformation, citing about £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in annual Kremlin spending on…

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on 2026-09-23, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he has ordered work on a National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute, and disrupt hostile-state information operations. The Cabinet Office is leading initial planning alongside intelligence agencies, government departments, law enforcement, and social media companies, but the centre's powers remain undefined, and Burnham indicated new laws could follow if needed. He accused Russian agencies of spending about £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) a year on information manipulation, using bots, fake websites, and falsified articles, copying the branding of 28 British organizations including universities and the BBC, and attempting to interfere in the UK's 2019 general election. The UK said it has already helped Moldova protect its elections, and Burnham described a developing UK-US AI defence partnership. Analysts note the centre's disruption mandate would go beyond France's Viginum, which detects and attributes but does not disrupt, and that Britain's existing foreign-interference offense has proven difficult to use; experts have called for a body accountable to Parliament rather than another small unit, while lawmakers warned the plan does not address domestic misinformation.

• Announcement made by PM Andy Burnham at the UN General Assembly (reported 2026-09-23).
• The National Centre for Information Defence is intended to detect, attribute, and disrupt hostile-state disinformation.
• The Cabinet Office is leading initial planning with intelligence agencies, other departments, law enforcement, and social media companies.
• The centre's powers remain undefined; Burnham said new laws could follow if needed.
• Burnham accused Russia of spending about £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) per year on information manipulation.
• Russian agencies allegedly used bots, fake websites, falsified articles, and copied the branding of 28 British organizations, including universities and the BBC.
• Burnham cited attempted Russian interference in the UK's 2019 general election.
• The UK said it has already helped Moldova protect its elections.