Key Takeaways
- Wes Streeting, UK Defence Secretary, reassures that the new National Centre for Information Security will not target domestic political dissent.
- Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, welcomes the PM’s announcement.
- The new centre aims to address the threat of disinformation from foreign states, particularly Russia.
Wes Streeting, UK Defence Secretary, has clarified that the newly established National Centre for Information Security will not target domestic political dissent, according to a statement to GB News.
In a detailed response, Streeting stated, 'We’re not interested in policing domestic political dissent.' This clarification comes as part of the government’s broader strategy to combat disinformation from foreign states, particularly Russia.
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, has expressed warm welcome to the PM’s announcement. Thornberry highlighted the need for a more organized approach to disinformation, stating that previous governments had not adequately addressed the issue.
Thornberry further elaborated, 'For too long, the approach of successive governments to disinformation has been disjointed and without organization, allowing states like Russia to amplify lies about this country, to sow division and stoke tensions.'
The new National Centre for Information Security is seen as an opportunity to finally tackle this serious threat, according to Thornberry. She noted that the foreign affairs committee had proposed this idea in a report earlier this year.
Thornberry added, 'We were extremely worried about what seemed to be a complacency of the British establishment at the disinformation being promoted from abroad, particularly from Russia. We thought the response from Whitehall had essentially been 'talk to the hand because the face ain’t listening,' but it seems we were wrong.'
The clarification from Streeting and the positive reaction from Thornberry indicate a shift in the UK’s approach to disinformation, emphasizing a more focused and organized strategy to counteract foreign influence.
The new centre is expected to work closely with various government departments and agencies to ensure a coordinated response to disinformation campaigns, particularly those originating from Russia.
We’re not interested in policing domestic political dissent.
Wes Streeting, UK Defence Secretary
We were extremely worried about what seemed to be a complacency of the British establishment at the disinformation being promoted from abroad, particularly from Russia.
Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee
