UK launching national centre to tackle 'poisonous tide' of disinformation

Andy Burnham accuses Russia of industrial-scale campaign

The UK is to establish a new national centre to detect and disrupt hostile state disinformation campaigns, prime minister Andy Burnham has announced.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham said the National Centre for Information Defence would target information warfare by hostile states, including Russia. He said the centre would work to defend democracy by detecting, attributing and disrupting hostile information attacks.

The prime minister also said the UK would push for international standards governing AI, describing the technology as both a major economic opportunity and a growing source of risk.

Burnham said the UK and its allies were facing an "industrial-scale assault" of false information from hostile states. He singled out Russia, which he said spends about £1.3 billion a year on information manipulation.

The prime minister said Russian operations had used bots, fake websites and fabricated newspaper articles, as well as falsely reproducing the branding of 28 organisations. He also accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the UK's 2019 general election, amplifying far-right narratives and seeking to fuel tensions and unrest following "horrific events".

The government plans to set out a 10-year strategy for Britain before the end of the year, including measures to counter what Burnham called the "poisonous tide" of disinformation.

The UK will also share intelligence and expertise on hostile information operations with other countries, he said. The UK has previously helped Moldova strengthen its defences against Russian interference during elections.

MPs call for action on domestic misinformation

Chi Onwurah, chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, welcomed the announcement of a national centre to tackle state-backed disinformation.

She said the committee had previously recommended such a body in its report on social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms.

But Onwurah warned that foreign interference was only part of the problem. She said the regulator Ofcom was "ill-equipped" to address misinformation originating from domestic sources.

The committee has urged the government to pursue other recommendations, including measures to address the algorithmic amplification of content that is legal but harmful.

AI to feature in UK's G20 presidency

Burnham also used his UN address to outline plans to make frontier AI a central issue during the UK's presidency of the G20 next year. He said the UK's position between the US and EU gave it a role as an "honest broker" in international discussions over AI safety and governance.

"Frontier AI" refers to the most advanced and capable AI systems, which Burnham described as one of the biggest challenges and opportunities of our time. He said AI would drive economic growth but could also amplify existing risks.

The prime minister highlighted the UK's AI Security Institute, established under former Prime minister Rishi Sunak, which tests advanced AI models for potential safety risks. He said the UK would use its G20 presidency to work towards global principles and standards covering transparency, access to AI models and the safe development of the technology.

Commenting on Burnham's announcement, Nick Benson, CEO at CREST, a cybersecurity consultancy said: "Andy Burnham's call for robust global AI standards is a promising step as all nations seek to maximise the opportunities AI offers whilst being increasingly thoughtful about the risks."

"AI safety covers many areas, including child safety, weapons proliferation and fraud. Cybersecurity is receiving particular attention, and rightly so: when actions in the digital world can threaten the physical world, there is a clear need for stronger international and national standards.

“High-level international principles are an important starting point, but policy goals and voluntary commitments alone will not protect AI-enabled systems or critical infrastructure. This is a technical, complex and constantly evolving field.

"Managing the shift to AI requires actionable technical frameworks, independent assurance and practical testing. As AI increases the speed and precision of cyber threats, long-term trust depends on proving these systems can be secured."