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Politics and Government: Disinformation

Asked by Dr Al PinkertonLiberal DemocratForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 21 January 2026UIN 105450

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of the European Union on the use of disinformation by states to interfere in (a) political processes and (b) public discourse.

Answered by Stephen Doughty

In her speech on 9 December 2025 marking the centenary of the Locarno Treaty, the Foreign Secretary spoke at length about the rising threat from information warfare, designed to create division and undermine democracy in societies like ours. We are working closely with European and other allies, including through the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnerships, to share information and coordinate our responses to information threats.

Ministers and officials are engaged in regular conversations on tackling hybrid threats with the EU and member states, including information warfare, and I was pleased to take part in consultations with EU counterparts on these issues on 15 September 2025.

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