Committee publication · Correspondence · 28 January 2026
Correspondence with the Minister for Security, Home Office, and Minister of State, Cabinet Office, relating to disinformation, dated 26 and 07 January
From: Foreign Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy
Summary
Security Minister Dan Jarvis responds to the Foreign Affairs Committee's inquiry into disinformation threats to the UK. He outlines the government's whole-of-government response through the Defending Democracy Taskforce, which meets regularly and coordinates across multiple departments and law enforcement. The government is preparing for safe local elections in 2026 and assessing deepfake detection technologies, though operational details are withheld on national security grounds.
Key findings
- Government recognizes disinformation as an existential threat to democracy, capable of dividing communities and undermining institutional trust, particularly during elections.
- The Defending Democracy Taskforce, chaired by Jarvis, coordinates response across FCDO, DSIT, MHCLG, Cabinet Office, law enforcement, Electoral Commission, and UK Intelligence Community.
- Home Office is integrating Scotland and Wales into cross-government operational response to disinformation targeting 2026 local elections; initial discussions with Northern Ireland (elections 2027) have begun.
- Government and private sector partnership programme underway to assess deepfake detection technologies and create framework for industry adoption to counter AI-related synthetic media harms.
- Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit will activate cross-government Election Cell during election periods to respond to emerging disinformation threats.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dan Jarvis MBE MP, Dame Emily Thornberry DME MP, Minister Narayan, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electoral Commission, UK Intelligence Community
Notable line
“Disinformation is particularly insidious as it seeks to undermine our institutions and divide our communities.”
Key Quotes
“Disinformation is particularly insidious as it seeks to undermine our institutions and divide our communities.”
“Countering information threats is a cross-government effort that draws on expertise from across departments and requires close collaboration.”
“It would not be appropriate to disclose these operational capabilities in detail due to national security considerations.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗