Intelligence agencies give updates on foreign interference

MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum and National Cyber Security Centre CEO Richard Horne have delivered a security briefing to senior leaders from over 70 universities.

The event was designed to increase understanding of how foreign interference can manifest, including attempts to shape and censor research or teaching, along with how to resist and report it.

The event was hosted by Security Minister Dan Jarvis and Skills Minister Jacqui Smith and followed by a separate security briefing for officials from all UK political parties, underscoring a non-partisan commitment to recognising and resisting attempts to manipulate the political process and our democratic values.  

£3 million is being invested to tackle the issue in universities. The new Academic Interference Reporting Route will enable senior leaders at universities to report concerns directly to the government, including security services. This is designed to enable individual concerns to be acted on more quickly, whilst also building a bigger picture of the threats facing UK institutions. 

Guidance has been published to help staff and students understand the concerns, where to go for support and how to respond. It is hoped this will give the sector the confidence and support they need to research and teach without fear of consequence or pressure from foreign states.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: "Our universities’ world-class reputation makes them a prime target for foreign states and hostile actors, who seek to erode that reputation by shaping or censoring research and teaching. 

"We do not take this lightly. We are working together across government and with universities themselves to defend the UK’s thriving academic environment.  

"By working together and sharing information, we are standing united against political pressure from foreign state actors."

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: "Today we’ve taken tough action to make the UK a harder target for foreign interference.

"We have to be clear-eyed that our world-class universities and democratic processes are being targeted by states who want to undermine our way of life.   

"That’s why we’re launching a new tool to help universities get support from security experts, as well as making sure people at the heart of our democracy know how to report foreign interference."

During the university briefing, Sir Ken McCallum detailed the sophisticated methods used by hostile actors to shape research and teaching content in higher education, including the use of professional networking sites and financial lures to cultivate relationships with academic staff and students.  

Briefing the political parties, he provided an overview of the evolving threat landscape, focusing on how foreign powers seek to interfere in democracy and political processes. 

Arif Ahmed, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the Office for Students, said: "Free speech and academic freedom are fundamental values that are essential to the mission of higher education.  We’ve always been clear that universities must resist external state threats to academic freedom, and that suppression of research because of the disapproval of a foreign government is unacceptable in practically any circumstances.

"I look forward to working with students, staff, universities and colleges and government to develop effective responses to these significant and growing threats."

Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said: "As global research leaders and educators of around 750,000 students a year, our universities have a vital role to play in the shared responsibility of national security. We have always valued the government’s genuinely collaborative approach on these issues. 

"The new single point of contact for advice on foreign interference will empower institutions to report and take action more swiftly and confidently, knowing there is support in place.

"This will help us maintain our learning environments as places where all students and staff can continue to inquire, study and discuss ideas freely."