Princess Kate cancer disinformation warning as UK now in 'new cold war'
‘Almost anything could trigger World War 3!’ Read Admiral Chris Parry warns …
China, Russia and Iran have been blamed for contributing to conspiracy theories surrounding Kate, Princess of Wales' health, with Tory MP Tobias Ellwood warning that the world is now in a "new Cold War".
Princess Kate on Friday announced that she has been receiving treatment for cancer after weeks of speculation. But it has since emerged that there is concern that hostile state actors may have been involved in stirring up frenzied speculation on social media.
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."
Speaking to GB News today, Ellwood said hostile actors across the world are "harvesting data to understand who we are, what our views are, and try and nudge our nation to have debates and to have disagreements, to sow political discord".
China, Russia and Iran have been blamed for contributing to conspiracy theories surrounding Kate, Princess of Wales' health, with Tory MP Tobias Ellwood warning that the world is now in a "new Cold War"
PA
He continued: "That is what their operations are all about. It's now a common modus operandi, not just China but Russia and Iran and so forth. They're spending an awful lot of money trying to distract governments such as the UK who are critical of those countries.
"They seek to exploit our openness, our transparency, our freedoms of expression to raise tensions, to raise disagreements and conspiracy theories in the UK. I'm pleased that the Deputy Prime Minister is finally going to hold China to account."
The MP for Bournemouth added: "We've entered a new Cold War with China, let's call it as it is."
Downing Street is preparing to announce fresh sanctions on China today, following a number of state-backed cyber attacks against a group of senior MPs and peers.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to raise the threat of Chine state interference in parliament today.
He is expected to say that China was responsible for hacking the Electoral Commission last year, which saw the personal details of 40 million voters accessed.
Princess Kate on Friday announced that she has been receiving treatment for cancer after weeks of speculation
X
Parliament's director of security, Alison Giles, will brief a group of MPs sceptical towards China today on the heightened threats they face as a result of their stance.
In an emotional video message last week, Princess Kate said: "I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.
"It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.
Princess Kate on Friday announced that she has been receiving treatment for cancer after weeks of speculation
PA
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.
"My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."