Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy

Foreign Affairs Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 15 Jan 2025 Parliament page
Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are increasingly weaponised by hostile state and non-state actors and this inquiry will seek to understand which actors are primarily responsible, and which channels and technologies are being used. It will seek to map motivations, sources and locations of the most pressing disinformation threats to democracy, … Read more
33 Recommendations
22 Conclusions
1 Report
7 Oral sessions
11 Letters
7 Events
Activity timeline 20 events
8 Jun
2026
Report published
27 Mar
2026
Report published
9 Mar
2026
Oral evidence
25 Feb
2026
Correspondence
3 Feb
2026
Correspondence
3 Feb
2026
Correspondence
3 Feb
2026
Correspondence
28 Jan
2026
Correspondence
28 Jan
2026
Correspondence
28 Jan
2026
Correspondence
20 Jan
2026
Correspondence
14 Jan
2026
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 7 sessions
9 Mar 2026
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Ali Law · TikTok David Agranovich · Meta Wifredo Fernández · X Corp.
13 Jan 2026
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Ana Revenco · Moldovan Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation Ciaran Martin CB · National Cyber Security Centre Vijay Rangarajan CMG · Electoral Commission
6 Jan 2026
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Jonny Hall CMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Stephen Doughty MP · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
18 Nov 2025
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Alexandre Brasil · Brazilian Embassy in London Jon Bateman · Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nina Jankowicz · American Sunlight Project Nishant Lalwani · International Fund for Public Interest Media Roberta Braga · Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas
16 Sep 2025
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Dr Antonio Giustozzi · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Dr Dani Madrid-Morales · The University of Sheffield Grace Theodoulou · The Council on Geostrategy James Kynge · Chatham House Mr Andrew Yeh · China Strategic Risks Institute
1 Apr 2025
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Salome Zourabichvili
11 Feb 2025
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Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr Jon Roozenbeek · King's College London Professor Martin Innes · Cardiff University Professor Vera Tolz-Zilitinkevic · University of Manchester
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are see… HC 703 27 Mar 2026 55 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
Clear
13 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report - Disinformation diplom…
The Committee is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of democracy in Georgia which, on...
The Committee is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of democracy in Georgia which, on its current trajectory, will lead to an entrenched autocracy firmly under Russia’s sphere of influence, like Belarus. We condemn the actions of the Georgian Dream … Read more
Government Response
The government shares the Committee's concerns about threats to democracy and security, stating its commitment to go further and faster to counter hybrid threats, including FIMI, through existing departmental allocations and continued resource prioritization.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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18 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report - Disinformation diplom…
Working with the European Union, the UK Government should scale-up assistance for independent media, civil...
Working with the European Union, the UK Government should scale-up assistance for independent media, civil society organisations and media literacy whilst continuing to monitor and expose foreign influence operations in these regions. (Recommendation, Paragraph 100) Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's suggestion and states they will take it into account alongside the Rycroft Review and lessons from allies, as they are working to cohere the government's approach to countering foreign information threats.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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34 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report - Disinformation diplom…
Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) proliferation over the last few years has ushered a new digital era...
Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) proliferation over the last few years has ushered a new digital era by invigorating research and innovation, whilst introducing unique challenges to national security. AI offers malicious users the opportunities to create novel content at speed, greatly … Read more
Government Response
The government partially agrees with the Committee's observation on AI's dual nature, acknowledging its use for both information manipulation and defensive capabilities. It states that FCDO capabilities are under review and existing AI sandboxes are in place, with a commitment to assess their utility for a bespoke counter-disinformation sandbox.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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46 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report - Disinformation diplom…
The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined...
The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and the Resilience Action Plan. Yet media literacy was notably absent. Whilst we welcome the Government’s media … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that media literacy is crucial for resilience to FIMI and is evaluating its 'You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign to adapt it for specific FIMI risks. It also acknowledges the critical role of social media platforms in promoting media literacy, stating that DSIT engages directly with them while Ofcom plays a coordinating role under the Online Safety Act.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 55 of 33 classified
Accepted 8
Accepted in Part 15
Acknowledged 4
Deferred 4
Not Addressed 21
Rejected 3
Total 33 recs + 22 conclusions
Correspondence 11 letters
25 Feb 2026 Correspondence with Ofcom relating to disinformation, dated 17 February and 03 February 2026
Parliament page
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence with the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at TikTok, relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 30 and 14 January 2026
Parliament page
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence from the Director of UK Public Policy at Meta relating to disinformation, dated 16 January 2026
Parliament page
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence with the Government Affairs Department at X relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 28 and 14 January
Parliament page
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, MHCLG, relating to disinformation, dated 22 and 07 January
Parliament page
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for Security, Home Office, and Minister of State, Cabinet Office, relating to disinformation, dated 26 and 07 January
Parliament page
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for AI and Online Safety, DSIT, relating to disinformation, dated 16 January and 07 January
Parliament page
20 Jan 2026 Correspondence from Minister Doughty following up on the oral evidence session on 06 January, dated 19 January
Parliament page
14 Jan 2026 From committee Letter to the Director of Public Policy (UK) at Meta, relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 14 January.
Parliament page
14 Jan 2026 From committee Letter to the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at TikTok, relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 14 January.
Parliament page
14 Jan 2026 From committee Letter to the Head of Government Affairs (UK and Ireland) at X, relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 14 January
Parliament page