Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the planned effective operational date is for the Government's dedicated national security unit to tackle fake news and disinformation.

The National Security Communications Team is already in operation. Its purpose is to allow government to better tackle the communications elements of interconnected complex challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.

This work differs to that of the Rapid Response Unit which has been recently launched based in No10 & the Cabinet Office, as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive.