The UK is at a “moment of consequence” as Russia continues to “relentlessly target” critical infrastructure, democratic systems and public trust, the head of Britain’s largest intelligence agency will warn in a major speech.
GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler is expected to outline growing national security threats and the steps needed to counter them in her first major public address.
In prepared remarks, she singles out Russia for targeting “critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust,” describing a sustained campaign of hybrid threats against the UK and its allies. Moscow has denied all allegations of hostile activity.
Keast-Butler says GCHQ is working closely with intelligence and defence partners to counter “reckless sabotage and assassination attempts” and to reduce what she describes as the Russian threat.
Russia has previously been blamed by UK authorities for espionage operations and high-profile incidents on British soil, including the 2006 killing of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko in London and the 2018 nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury — accusations the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
The speech is also expected to highlight ongoing cyber threats from organised criminal groups targeting UK businesses with ransomware and phishing attacks, as well as broader geopolitical risks.
She is also set to warn that China is emerging as a major science and technology power with advanced intelligence, cyber and military capabilities, adding that the UK and its allies face a narrowing window to maintain technological advantage.
Keast-Butler is expected to stress the importance of cooperation between government, industry and the public, urging stronger cyber hygiene measures such as adopting passkeys and improving password security.
She will describe the evolving threat landscape as “the ground beneath our feet shifting,” calling for cyber security to be prioritised across society.
The address will be delivered from Bletchley Park, the historic wartime codebreaking centre and symbolic home of UK intelligence.
GCHQ, based in Cheltenham, is the UK’s largest intelligence agency, specialising in signals intelligence and cyber security, and is part of the country’s wider intelligence community alongside MI5 and MI6.
