Dame Emily Thornberry MP on disinformation and foreign affairs

Dame Thornberry started the morning by explaining to gathered Canning House members and guests the work of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that she chairs. Select Committees are cross-party bodies that are designed to represent the House of Commons and provide expert analysis and inquiries on pertinent topics. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee deals broadly with foreign policy, and ensuring the functionality of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), it is currently undertaking an inquiry into disinformation worldwide.

Emily Thornberry shared with guests her fear that disinformation was being used to undermine democracy around the world, and that Britain must learn lessons from success stories in other countries to protect their own democracy. She explained that often it is state actors that spread disinformation. She shared the example of Russian interference in Eastern European elections in which they have paid influencers to spread disinformation.

The goal of this inquiry is to produce a report with recommendations on how to best equip the British people to deal with disinformation. The MP stressed that people need to be aware that the information they see is being manipulated by algorithms, and that certain voices get a disproportionate amount of attention. In times like these, Dame Thornberry expressed the value of trusted sources such as the BBC in providing reliable information.

As the discussion opened up it was particularly valuable to hear the viewpoint of the Brazilian Ambassador. Given Brazil’s recent conflict with X over disinformation the Ambassador was well placed to provide his comment. He reminded the table that disinformation (unlike misinformation) is deliberate, it is motivated either by politics or profit. He highlighted that, unlike the UK, Brazil’s main concern in this matter is not Russia, but the effect of Silicon Valley. To tackle this threat Brazil is trying to produce laws that will govern all social media platforms. The Ambassador stressed the need for international cooperation if we are to effectively steel the world against disinformation.

Others round the table echoed the desire of the Ambassador and the Dame for accountability on the part of social media platforms. In particular one participant highlighted that smaller Latin American states are considering requiring having a representative of platforms physically in the country who could be held legally responsible.

This inquiry is still ongoing and Dame Emily Thornberry thanked participants for their input, a full report will be published once the Select Committee has conducted its work.

Canning House would like to extend its thanks to Dame Emily Thornberry MP for her time and our guests for their lively participation in this event.