Andy Burnham units up ‘Ministry of Truth’ as he warns of ‘industrial scale assault’ on UK
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a National Centre for Information Defence to ‘detect, attribute and disrupt’ foreign disinformation, after slamming Putin
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham(Image: Toby Melville/Pool Reuters via A)
Andy Burnham has announced a new government unit to fight foreign disinformation – sparking an immediate “Ministry of Truth” backlash as critics warned it risks state overreach.
The Prime Minister unveiled plans for a National Centre for Information Defence during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (September 22). He said Britain faces an “industrial-scale assault” of lies and manipulation from Russia and other hostile states.
Burnham singled out Vladimir Putin’s regime, claiming Russian agencies pump huge resources into information warfare aimed at undermining British democracy and stirring unrest. The government says the new centre will be tasked to “detect, attribute and disrupt” information attacks, including foreign deepfakes and AI-driven campaigns designed to damage UK interests.
Burnham delivers a speech during the United Nations General Assembly (Image: Toby Melville/Pool Reuters via A)
According to the claims set out by Burnham and government briefings, Russian operations allegedly use bot networks, fake news sites and forged branding to make propaganda look legitimate. Burnham said Moscow spends an estimated £1.3 billion a year on these efforts and claimed Russian actors have copied the branding of 28 British institutions – including the BBC – to give false stories a veneer of trust.
He also accused Russian-linked operations of trying to interfere with the 2019 UK General Election, exploiting Brexit to inflame division, and amplifying far-right narratives connected to recent domestic unrest, France 24 reported.
The new centre is reportedly expected to be led by the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, drawing together intelligence agencies, law enforcement and social media platforms. But the move has triggered fierce criticism at home, with opponents comparing it to George Orwell’s fictional “Ministry of Truth” and warning it could be used to police what people say and think.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham (L) attends the Middle East peace event “The Road Ahead: One Year After the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan” with French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ministers have hit back, insisting the unit is about national security – not censoring British voters, the Guardian reported.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting sought to reassure critics, saying it would be aimed at hostile state actors and would not be used for “policing domestic political dissent”, adding that citizens must remain free to challenge the government.
The Kremlin also reacted angrily. On Wednesday (September 23), spokesman Dmitry Peskov rebuked the plan, accusing the British government of stoking anti-Russian sentiment and “fostering Russophobia”, the Independent reported.
He reportedly branded the strategy short-sighted and warned it would do nothing to reduce tensions in Europe, as Russia flatly denied the UK’s allegations.
Despite the “Ministry of Truth” jibes, the government insists the National Centre for Information Defence is not a propaganda department, but a dedicated unit designed to identify and disrupt foreign disinformation operations targeting Britain.
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