--- title: "Kremlin criticises UK PM Burnham's UN speech on disinformation" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-09-24T06:05:16.532Z" source_reported: "2026-09-24T05:32:54.732Z" updated: "2026-09-24T06:05:16.532Z" trust_score: 72 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-24T08:00:22.361258+00:00" --- # Kremlin criticises UK PM Burnham's UN speech on disinformation *Moscow claims the prime minister's address stoked anti-Russian sentiment and was short-sighted.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 72 of 100, higher is better. Trust 72: multiple named sources (Peskov, Burnham) and two independent outlets corroborate core claim. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87: explains context, quotes officials, separates facts, provides specific names and places, clear cohesive story. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30: headline strong but body matches, no excessive sensational language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the establishment of a National Centre for Information Defence at the UN General Assembly. - Burnham accused Russia of spreading lies and disinformation during his speech. - The Kremlin stated that Burnham's speech stoked anti-Russian sentiment and would not ease European tensions. - Moscow described the prime minister's approach as short-sighted and fundamentally flawed. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced the creation of a new National Centre for Information Defence during an address at the UN General Assembly. In his speech, Burnham accused Russia of spreading lies and disinformation, stating that the UK and its allies had faced an "industrial-scale assault" by hostile states. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Burnham's speech, stating that the prime minister's comments stoked anti-Russian sentiment and would not ease European tensions. Peskov described the approach as "utterly short-sighted" and "fundamentally flawed", adding that it would not lead to de-escalation on the European continent. The Kremlin also noted that Burnham had said nothing new. ## Disagreement on the nature of Burnham's speech The Independent reported that Burnham accused Russia of spreading falsehoods and singled out Moscow over disinformation. Reuters stated that Burnham accused Russia of spreading lies and disinformation. CGTN's headline stated that Burnham's comments stoked anti-Russian sentiment and did nothing to near de-escalation in Europe. ## What the coverage left out No reports mentioned the specific date of Andy Burnham's UN General Assembly address. The full reports from The Independent and Reuters did not include the Kremlin's specific claims about Russian interference in the 2019 general election or falsifying newspaper articles, details that were present in The Independent's full report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 3 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (2) - Centre: 33% (1) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 3 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-24T08:00:22.361258+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-24T08:30:15.999Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Both left-rated reports highlighted the Kremlin's reaction to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's UN General Assembly speech. The Independent quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Burnham's comments would do nothing to ease tensions across Europe and that stoking anti-Russian sentiment was what Britain was doing. The Independent also detailed Burnham's announcement of a new National Centre for Information Defence to tackle Russian information warfare and his accusation that Russian agencies interfered with the 2019 general election. CGTN's report, based on its headline, focused on the Kremlin's assertion that Burnham's comments stoked anti-Russian sentiment and did not aid de-escalation. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Reuters focused on the Kremlin's statement that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had unwisely chosen to stir up anti-Russian sentiment in a speech to the UN General Assembly. It noted that the Kremlin said this would do nothing to ease tensions in Europe and described Burnham's decision as short-sighted. ### Right No separate framing summary. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 2 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [CGTN](https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-23/news-1QFR3ci2QaQ/p.html) — KREMLIN SAYS UK BURNHAM'S UN COMMENTS STOKED ANTI-RUSSIAN SENTIMENT AND DID NOTHING TO NEAR DE-ESCALATION IN EUROPE - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putin-russia-andy-burnham-un-speech-b3055052.html) — Kremlin accuses Andy Burnham of ‘stoking anti-Russian sentiment’ - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/uk/kremlin-says-uk-burnhams-decision-stir-up-anti-russian-sentiment-un-speech-was-2026-09-23) — Kremlin says UK Burnham's decision to stir up anti-Russian sentiment in UN speech was short-sighted ## Questions **What did Andy Burnham announce at the UN General Assembly?** Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the creation of a new National Centre for Information Defence. This centre is intended to combat disinformation and information warfare. **What was the Kremlin's reaction to Andy Burnham's speech?** The Kremlin stated that Andy Burnham's speech stoked anti-Russian sentiment and would not ease European tensions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the prime minister's approach as short-sighted and fundamentally flawed. **What did Andy Burnham accuse Russia of in his speech?** Andy Burnham accused Russia of spreading lies and disinformation. He stated that the UK and its allies had faced an "industrial-scale assault" by hostile states, including Russia, to "prey on people's fear". --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Kremlin criticises UK PM Burnham's UN speech on disinformation", https://mediabias.news/politics/kremlin-criticises-uk-pm-burnhams-un-speech-on-disinformation