Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Not Addressed
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has acknowledged that its work on countering foreign information...
Conclusion
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has acknowledged that its work on countering foreign information manipulation and interference has been limited to Europe due to funding constraints despite clear evidence that malign actors are exploiting weaker information environments in other strategically important regions. This limited funding risks the UK further losing influence in key regions such as Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Indo-Pacific as it cuts Official Development Assistance. This is especially concerning given the recent commitments by the Government to target funds to raising defence spending to achieve the NATO commitment of 3.5% of GDP by 2035 and the reorganisation of the UK Integrated Security Fund to deliver the ambitions of the National Security Strategy. Without immediate action, threat actors will continue to outspend democratic nations like the UK, increasing the challenge in combatting information operations. Strengthening the UK’s soft power capability and combatting FIMI in the information war should be recognised as an integral part of the UK’s defence and security strategy (Conclusion, Paragraph 141)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response outlines measures related to the Representation of the People Bill, a consultation on digital replicas, an AI labelling taskforce, and a ban on crypto asset donations, failing to address the conclusion regarding FCDO funding limitations or the strategic recognition of FIMI.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
Partially agree. This Government shares the Committee’s concerns about the scale and severity of the challenge to the democracy and security of the UK and that of our international partners. We are committed to going further and faster to defend ourselves and our allies by limiting the impact of information threats. The Department has ensured that the allocations we have received are targeting the threats and challenges we face, including a key focus on countering hybrid threats including cyber attacks, election interference, and FIMI. This demonstrates the Government’s firm commitment to countering the growing scale and sophistication of FIMI. It also underlines the FCDO’s commitment to continue modernising its capabilities through to 2030 and beyond. We will continue to prioritise our resources on targeting information networks propagating FIMI activity at source, as well as driving concerted international action with our closest partners. Hybrid Threats Directorate has been allocated a non-ODA budget for this spending review period that enables sustained and more effective action to counter hybrid threats.
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