Both Russia and China can try to interfere in poll 'far more easily than ever before'

RUSSIA and China will be able to influence July's General Election "far more easily than before", the Prime Minister was warned yesterday.

- Michael Knowles

Rapid advances in technology mean agents "with basic IT skills" can spread fake news, AI-generated deepfakes and manipulated information.

There are fears that deepfakes videos in which people are digitally altered to look and sound like someone else could undermine trust in politicians and cause "disorder".

Government sources conceded "there are lots of threats out there" but insisted candidates had "a lot of resources to call upon" if they fear they are being targeted.

This includes enhanced security software and a new Joint Election Security Preparations Unit, made up of civil servants, police and intelligence agencies to protect the integrity of the vote. Meanwhile, a parliamentary briefing, sent to MPs, peers and staff on Thursday, warns that "China and Russia pose the greatest state-backed cyber threats to the UK, and that Iran and North Korea also have notable cyber capabilities".

Yesterday Dame Margaret Beckett, chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, published a letter she sent to Mr Sunak warning: "The UK must be prepared for the possibility of foreign interference during the General Election."

She added: "There is nothing new in hostile actors seeking to interfere in elections. Today, however, these actors can reach the British public far more easily than ever before. As a consequence of technological advances, hostile actors - foreign and domestic have the ability to influence the information landscape by creating harmful deepfake videos and audios that can rapidly spread.