National Centre for Information Defence
(Russophobia, Propaganda) | |
|---|---|
| NCID, another tool in the MI5/MI6 armoury |
The UK Prime Minister has asked security chiefs to establish a new National Centre for Information Defence (NCID) to work with intelligence agencies, government departments and social media companies to tackle disinformation and deepfakes damaging to British interests.[1]
Background
On 22 September 2026, in a speech at the UN General Assembly, Andy Burnham said:
“In recent years we have seen an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and that of many of our allies.
"Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fears. They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC. They’ve amplified far right narratives.
"And we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election.
"We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events. The idea that anyone would try to use such things to their advantage is just repulsive – but it is what they do. The Kremlin spends around £1.3 billion each year on manipulating information. We’re talking about 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. On top of that we have seen cyber-attacks on our companies and institutions. And we know that A.I. will multiply the threat.
"Today I am tasking our security chiefs to begin work on a new National Centre for Information Defence – to detect, attribute and disrupt these kinds of hostile state information attacks. To support and defend our democracy.
"And I know this is a shared challenge. So we are going to use our experience in the UK – and the fact that we have already been through this shock – to help other countries.
"We have already supported Moldova to protect its elections from Russian interference.
"As more elections approach across Europe, more nations are grappling with these issues – some for the first time. So we’re ready to share our understanding of how these actors work, and how we can respond – because this is vital for our collective security and resilience.
"To overcome division and instability, we must also find new ways to bring countries together. We know that we are at our strongest when we unite with others – when we reach across borders to solve shared problems.”
Andy Burnham (22 September 2026) [2]
