May Appoints Anti-Subversion Minister Fearing Russia's Meddling in UK Election

Sputnik — UK Prime Minster Theresa May appointed UK Minister for the Cabinet Office Ben Gummer to be responsible for anti-subversion as part of an effort to enhance national security amid fears of Russia's possible interference in the next election, local media reported Monday.

According to The Times newspaper, Gummer will be in charge of protecting the Britain's democracy following concerns that "Russian cyberattacks, fake news and money could destabilise democracy."

On Sunday, the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) warned the United Kingdom's political parties in a letter to safeguard their network communications, and cautioned that government institutions and think tanks may become targets for hacking attacks.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Sunday that London had no evidence at the moment of Russian involvement in trying to undermine the UK "democratic processes."

The Russian hacking scandal emerged in the United States, with Washington claiming that Moscow allegedly influenced last year's US presidential elections. Similar unfounded accusations have been made in Germany and France.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted any allegations about Russia's alleged involvement in US election process and said that Russia did not cooperate with US President Donald Trump's staff during the election campaign. Trump has also said there was no evidence to suggest that the election results had been swayed.

The next UK general election is due to be held before May 2020.