JCNSS calls on Prime Minister to defend the UK’s democracy as snap election is called

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy is today publishing a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressing a series of concerns regarding the threats and risks to our democracy before, during and after the UK's general election on 4 July. The letter warns of a series of specific potential threats which the Committee considers Government should prepare for.  

Last year the UK's National Cyber Security Centre said that the UK Government “is almost certain that Russian actors sought to interfere in the 2019 general elections”, and that we could “expect to see the integrity of our systems tested again” during this election year. The Committee's inquiry into Defending Democracy was launched in February to examine UK preparedness for a national election in a year when record numbers of people, including in Europe, the UK, the USA, and India, are expected to go to the polls. 

The Committee says the UK Government should be prepared for the possibility of foreign interference during the upcoming General Election. It has taken the decision to write and publish this letter because “it is not clear if members of the public fully understand how these threats will manifest and what this means for the UK, its democracy and for them as individuals.”