Wes Streeting has assured that the Prime Minister’s new “information centre” will not be “weaponised” to target the free speech of Britons.
Speaking to GB News, the Defence Secretary made clear that he has a “responsibility to defend the freedom and democracy” of this country.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans for a new “National Centre for Information Defence” to fight “disinformation” about the UK.
Taking aim at “Russian agencies”, the Prime Minister declared that the UK has “tiptoed around this for too long”.
He said: “Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fear,” he said.
“They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC. They’ve amplified far-right narratives, and we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election.”
Challenging the Prime Minister’s newly announced plans, GB News host Alex Armstrong asked Mr Streeting: “There’s a lot of concern in the media today and indeed amongst our viewers that this could be weaponised to target British citizens who simply disagree with your Government.
“Can you promise today that that will not be the case?”
Wes Streeting has assured that the free speech of Britons will not be impacted by Andy Burnham’s new ‘information defence centre’
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GB NEWS
Mr Streeting responded: “Yes I can. Look, one of the great things about Britain and one of the things that I have a responsibility to defend is the freedom and democracy that we all enjoy.
“And that includes the freedom to disagree, the freedom for people to challenge their Government, to challenge Government policy, to criticise robustly what we are doing, and then to have the opportunity to choose a different Government.”
The Defence Secretary argued that Russia is just “one of a number of threats to our democracy”.
He explained: “It is a stark contrast to the position that our friends, the Russian people endure and the political system that they suffer under, and Russia is just one of a number of malign state and non-state actors that seek to threaten and disrupt our democracy, including through misinformation and disinformation.
Andy Burnham has announced a new National Centre for Information Defence to tackle disinformation | REUTERS
“That’s what this new national centre is set up to help us to attribute and to defend against and rebut. We’re not interested in policing domestic political dissent.”
Mr Streeting made clear that debate and holding the Government to account is “part and parcel” of living in a democracy.
He told GB News: “That’s one of the things that is great about living in a democracy, and it’s one of the reasons why, as a politician, over many years now, I have always been prepared to debate with political opponents and also to do interviews with newspapers or broadcasters, even where they’re critical of the position of the Government of the day. That is part and parcel of living in a democracy.”
Turning to the Prime Minister’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly, Mr Streeting was pressed on whether the UK’s Chagos deal is now “dead in the water” after being branded “terrible” by Mr Trump.
Mr Streeting told GB News that debate is ‘part and parcel’ of living in a democracy
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GB NEWS
Mr Streeting responded: “It’s absolutely right that we can’t go ahead without President Trump’s approval.
“Because at the heart of what we’re trying to achieve here with these negotiations is the long term stability and security of one of the most sensitive national security assets that the United Kingdom has and the capability it provides to the UK, the US and to our collective security.
“And that’s why these negotiations are important, why it’s important we have US support and why, given what President Trump has said, not for the first time yesterday.
“We have to work through US concerns with the Americans, with the Mauritian Government and get to a place that everyone can live with.”