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Andy Burnham takes aim at Russia in UN speech in which he declared 'Britain is back' on world stage
Burnham said the unit will fight online lies and deepfakes as the UK and the United States expand cooperation on AI defense.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his maiden United Nations General Assembly address to reveal the Kremlin spends £1.3 billion annually on "manipulating information," pledging world leaders can "count on us."
Russian agencies waged an "insidious campaign" using bots and fake websites, Burnham said, forging the branding of 28 British organisations and attempting to interfere with the 2019 General Election.
To combat these threats, Burnham announced a new National Centre for Information Defence and an AI defence partnership with the United States to protect critical national infrastructure.
Burnham also revealed a 10-year plan for Britain focused on reducing economic insecurity, arguing young people struggling with the cost of living are more vulnerable to foreign influence.
Shifting focus to the Middle East, the Prime Minister denounced Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel as "utterly horrific" and renewed his call for a two-state solution to keep peace alive.
"The Kremlin spends around £1.3 billion every year on disinformation. We're talking about an insidious campaign that reaches people's homes and distorts feelings...