MI5 warns of threats from Russia and China in general election

MI5 has issued a warning over potential threats from hostile states during the upcoming general election.

Britain’s security service has told candidates and officials involved in the July 4 ballot to be vigilant against efforts to “manipulate or compromise the UK electoral process” by states such as Russia and China.

Both the police and MI5 are on high alert, monitoring for activities ranging from physical intimidation to online interference, The Times reported.

Parliament’s Office for Science and Technology (POST) last week issued urgent guidance warning politicians, electoral registration officers and the public about threats such as identity hacks and deepfakes targeting well-known politicians.

A committee of MPs and peers also alerted the Prime Minister that the UK must be ready for possible foreign interference from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, which could “sow division and cause chaos” during the general election.

The government has previously accused Russia of hacking during the 2019 election, stealing documents related to the NHS. China has been implicated in infiltrating Electoral Commission computers and gathering voter information.

Late last year, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum warned of the sophisticated use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes by hostile states to spread election disinformation.

Around the same time, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the next UK general election in 2024 is at risk of being stolen by AI-generated deepfakes, which are realistic but false videos or audio clips that can imitate a person’s appearance and voice.

The warnings came after an audio clip seeming to show Labour leader Keir Starmer swearing at staff went viral, gaining over 1.5m views on X, and prompting cross-party outrage from MPs.