Yesterday, in America, Andy Burnham announced a new policy which has already been met with concern within the US government. Our PM promised to ‘stem’ the ‘poisonous tide’ of ‘industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK’ by establishing a new ‘National Centre for Information Defence’ (NCID). This is necessary, the PM explained, because ‘Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fears’, in order to enact ‘an insidious campaign that reaches into people’s homes and twists what they feel about their own country and community – creating a narrative of decline, stoking division and sowing despair.’

It is no wonder that the state is seeking to establish greater control over speech which it feels threatens

It is no wonder that the state is seeking to establish greater control over speech which it feels threatens

This all, apparently, means it is necessary to establish the NCID, ‘to detect, attribute and disrupt these kinds of hostile state information attacks. To support and defend our democracy’. To do this, Burnham promises to ‘put in place the architecture we need to stem this poisonous tide’. 

Putting aside the fact that GCHQ is already responsible for detecting, attributing and disrupting information attacks from hostile states, what does all of this mean? While I understand that more details will be announced in due course, it seems that the PM has asked the security services to establish the NCID in order to detect, attribute and disrupt what the state calls ‘hostile state information attacks’, and identify both ‘disinformation’ and deepfakes which they believe threaten our interests. The new centre is expected to work not just with intelligence agencies but also government departments, law enforcement and social media companies. It will also be concerned with community cohesion – I understand that the goal is to prevent what the government sees as distorted and untrue narratives about the country.

Burnham’s bet: is the Prime Minister planning to call an election?

I like a good hypocrite

Lucy Powell:........

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