Question
The Chancellor is very well aware of the threat to our economy of Russian cyber and physical attacks, but the UK public are not. My recent report, “The Putin Tax”, found that it was already costing the economy in excess of £2.5 billion a year and each taxpayer more than £100 a year. With families facing rising bills, I am sure that people would much rather spend that money themselves than give it to a dictator like Vladimir Putin. Will the Chancellor help to fulfil the Prime Minister’s recent commitment to me by gathering and publishing the data on the cost of Russian attacks so the public know how much Putin is costing their family?
Answer
I thank my hon. Friend for his important work. We know that Putin’s aggression is imposing real costs both on Ukraine and here at home. That is why we provided an extra £10 billion of new economic and military support for Ukraine in the Budget, alongside new investment to bolster Britain’s cyber-defences. We will continue to stand up to Russian aggression and to strengthen Britain’s security in order to ensure that Putin does not succeed in undermining us here, in this country.33% vibes
Verdict: RED (8/100)
The reply does not answer the question, which asked whether the Chancellor will gather and publish data on the cost of Russian cyber and physical attacks. It speaks in general terms about the costs of Putin's aggression and points to the government's own spending on Ukraine support and cyber investment, which is not a measure of what the attacks cost. It makes no commitment to collect or publish such figures, so the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up question.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Chancellor gather and publish data on the cost of Russian cyber and physical attacks, in fulfilment of the Prime Minister's recent commitment to the Member? | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks whether the Chancellor will gather and publish data on the cost of Russian cyber and physical attacks. The reply only asserts in general terms that Putin's aggression imposes 'real costs' and cites the £10bn Ukraine support and cyber investment, which are the government's own spending rather than a measure of the cost of attacks. It makes no commitment to collect or publish such data. |