BRITAIN is at risk of losing the cyber war against Russian and Chinese disinformation unless we beef up security, a government-commissioned report will warn this week.
Ministers should lift draconian salary caps on cyber spooks to protect UK democracy, it will recommend.
Agencies like GCHQ should get more cash to fight tyrants like Vladimir Putin trying to sew division here with hacks and fake news.
The recommendations are in a long-awaited report on political violence by John Woodcock – whose formal name is Lord Walney – out on Tuesday.
It comes after security experts warned Russia-based groups fuelled social media conspiracies about the Princess of Wales’ health.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove is backing the report and pushing for No10 to accept the recommendations in full.
Mr Gove will make a hard-hitting speech on anti-Semitism on the same day as the report’s launch amid alarm at the race-hate spreading through UK universities.
Last week, The Sun on Sunday revealed that protest movements like Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action could be banned under the report’s recommendations.
Under current rules, anyone who works for those who earn £150,000 a year or more must have their pay signed off by a senior Treasury minister.
But there are concerns this is leading to a brain drain – with many highly skilled cyber experts being snapped up by big tech companies like Facebook owners Meta.
A source said: “They can be offered ten times more in the private sector. That makes it hard to keep them.”
The report recommends this sign off process is disapplied for cyber recruits.
The Kremlin uses troll factories to spread likes on social media to target politicians in the UK and elsewhere in the West.
Earlier this year, Russian groups were exposed for spreading dodgy social media conspiracy theories about the princess of Wales.
