Burnham Orders Work on Information Defence Centre

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham accused Russia of using disinformation and online influence to deepen divisions in the United Kingdom in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, and announced that security chiefs would begin work on a National Centre for Information Defence. Burnham said Russian agencies had amplified far-right narratives and that the UK had evidence of an attempt to interfere in the 2019 general election. He also alleged that Russian activity had sought to inflame tensions after serious events in Britain. The claims were presented in his speech; the material available does not independently establish them. The proposed centre is intended to detect, attribute and disrupt hostile-state information attacks, Burnham said. He also offered to share the UK’s understanding of how such actors operate and how governments can respond. The announcement did not specify the centre’s powers, governance, safeguards or timetable. Burnham said the Kremlin spends about £1.3 billion a year manipulating information. The estimate was his, and no calculation or independent verification was provided in the reports.