Hostile states exploit UK journalists and social media

Foreign intelligence services are increasingly using social media journalism and political networks to covertly influence UK public debate and democratic processes, according to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

In its latest Annual Report, covering April 2023 to March 2025, the Committee warns that the threat to the UK now includes “the efforts of foreign states to exert covert and malign influence on UK policy, democracy and public opinion through attempts to influence social media, journalism and political figures”, the committee stated.

The report says hostile states are seeking to manipulate information environments rather than relying solely on traditional espionage. It highlights Russia in particular, stating that in December 2023 the UK government publicly attributed persistent “hack and leak” activity to an FSB-linked cyber unit known as STARBLIZZARD, which attempted to obtain and release material linked to UK political issues.

The Committee notes that state-backed media outlets are also being used as tools of influence. It records that in September 2024 the UK joined the United States in calling out Russian state broadcaster RT as “a mouthpiece of Russian disinformation”, including for efforts aimed at “influencing democratic processes in Moldova”. The report frames this as part of a wider pattern of information warfare directed at Western audiences.

Chinese-linked political interference is also referenced. The Committee recalls that in March 2023 Yang Tengbo was excluded from the UK after authorities judged that “the relationship he developed with Prince Andrew could be used for political interference purposes by the Chinese State”. That decision was upheld on appeal by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in December 2024.

In a separate case, the report notes that in December 2024 the Investigatory Powers Tribunal dismissed complaints brought by Christine Lee, who had been the subject of an MI5 Interference Alert to Parliamentary Authorities in January 2022 following an investigation that “confirmed her links to the United Front Work Department”.

The Committee warns that social media platforms and digital journalism remain attractive targets because they allow hostile actors to amplify narratives rapidly and obscure attribution. It describes these activities as part of broader attempts to “exert covert and malign influence” rather than isolated incidents.

While acknowledging steps taken to strengthen the UK’s response, including the National Security Act which came into force in December 2023, the Committee cautions that hostile information operations are likely to persist. It says the legislation is intended to “make the UK a harder operating environment”, but the evolving nature of online influence means the threat remains dynamic.

The report concludes that protecting democratic debate now requires sustained attention alongside more traditional counter-espionage work, as foreign states increasingly blur the lines between intelligence activity, media manipulation and political interference.