Whitehall figures fear hostile states have helped to fuel wild conspiracy theories in attempt to destabilise nation
China, Russia and Iran are fuelling disinformation about the Princess of Wales to destabilise the nation, Whitehall sources believe.
Senior Government figures fear that hostile states are behind the spread of wild conspiracy theories and online rumours surrounding the Princess’s health.
After the Princess announced her cancer diagnosis on Friday evening, Rishi Sunak led the condemnation of social media trolls for targeting her online in recent weeks.
But his intervention did not deter further frenzied commentary, with a disinformation chief saying on Sunday that the Princess had been “revictimised” by trolls criticising her for not publicly revealing her diagnosis sooner.
On Sunday, it emerged that there was growing concern in Whitehall that hostile state actors could be involved in whipping up the frenzied social media attacks on the Princess.
A government source told The Telegraph: “Part of the modus operandi of hostile states is to destabilise things – whether that is undermining the legitimacy of our elections or other institutions.”
It comes as Downing Street is preparing to announce fresh sanctions on China as soon as Monday, after a wave of state-backed cyber attacks against a group of senior MPs and peers.
The threat of Chinese state interference in British democracy will be raised in Parliament on Monday by Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister.
He is expected to say China was behind a hack on the Electoral Commission last year, during which the personal details of 40 million voters were accessed.
Meanwhile, Alison Giles, parliament’s director of security will brief a group of MPs on the heightened threats they face as a result of their hawkish stance on China.
The first UK sanctions against Chinese government officials were announced in 2021 for “systematic” human rights violations against Uyghurs and other minority groups.
