Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 June 2026. It was answered by Stephen Doughty (Labour) on Monday, 22 June 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Disinformation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to counter misinformation being spread globally by a) Russia, b) Iran and c) Afghanistan; and whether she plans to take further such steps.

Answer: As set out in our response to the Foreign Affairs Committee's report published on 27 March, this Government recognises the seriousness of the threat posed by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including mis- and disinformation, to the UK and our international partners. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has prioritised its resources on targeting the information networks that propagate this activity at source. This has included imposing targeted sanctions on individuals and entities involved in this activity; in May, the UK imposed sanctions on a further 56 such individuals and entities. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK against foreign interference, no matter the source.

Secondary information