Rapid Response Unit

This article is part of the Propaganda Portal project of Spinwatch.

Cabinet Office / Government Communication Service unit created in early 2018 to monitor publicly available news and social media for emerging narratives; worked closely with the National Security Communications Team; fed into the Counter Disinformation Cell during the pandemic; disbanded in August 2022; small team of analyst-editors, data scientists and digital experts

The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) was created in early 2018 as a central team in the Government Communication Service, based across the Cabinet Office and No. 10. It used publicly available information to identify trends in media and social media coverage so that departments could understand how announcements were being reported and received. It was publicly announced in July 2018. The unit was small (fewer than 10 staff, annual staffing budget up to £450,000) and was disbanded in August 2022.

According to Alex Aiken:

In April [2018], the Cabinet Office launched the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) to help meet this complex policy challenge. The new team is made up of specialists including analyst-editors, data scientists, media and digital experts. It monitors news and information being shared and engaged with online to identify emerging issues with speed, accuracy and with integrity. We do this to better understand the news environment, to let departments know about emerging stories, and to assess the effectiveness of our public information.

Based across the Cabinet Office and No.10, the RRU is neither a “rebuttal” unit, nor is it a “fake news” unit. During this pilot period, we’ve tested the concept, evaluated the impact of specific initiatives and examined how strongly stories are shared online.

In March 2020 the Cabinet Office announced:

The Cabinet Office has set up a special unit to clamp down on online misinformation about coronavirus. It said the Rapid Response Unit has been working with social media companies to identity and block “false narratives”. The team comprises representatives from government and the technology sector and is one of those feeding into the wide Counter Disinformation Cell led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The RRU was closed down in August 2022. This was announced in a Parliamentary Answer in March 2023:

The rapid response unit was created in 2018 and disbanded in August 2022. It was formed as a central resource in the Government Communication Service that used publicly available information to improve Government’s ability to identify where certain narratives about our work were gaining traction online and to understand public sentiment about Government policies. On disbandment, the information collected was archived and it will be retained in line with the Cabinet Office information retention policy, which is available online.

The unit was small (five full-time staff and four senior officials on a part-time basis as of January 2019; later described as fewer than 10 members of staff with an annual staffing budget up to £450,000). It used only publicly available information. During the coronavirus pandemic it worked on harmful narratives and fed into the wider Counter Disinformation Cell. It worked closely with the National Security Communications Team.

People

Staffing

According to Global Government Forum, the RRU is staffed by five full time staff and four senior officials who work on a part time basis (as of Jan 2019).

• Alex Aiken - Executive Director of the Government Communication Service (from 2012) oversees the RRU.

An FoI response from the Cabinet Office on 1 July 2020 stated:

Please see below for the names of the Senior Civil Servants responsible for the Rapid Response Unit and National Security Communications Team.

Head of Digital, No 10 and Cabinet Office - Peter Heneghan

Deputy Director, National Security Communications team - Darragh McElroy

Staff

• Jake Rodd – Lead Social Media Analyst
• Alex Snowball – Lead Analyst
• Olivia Bescoby – Lead Analyst
• Subhajit Banarjee – Head of Digital Transformation (a part of the RRU)

Former staff

• Connie Begbie - Executive Assistant to Alex Aiken, Executive Director of Government Communication Jun 2019 - May 2021.
• Benjamin Carty – Senior Communications Manager, RRU (Secondment) (Mar 2020 - Oct 2020)
• Katie Williamson-Walsh – Deputy Head of RRU (May 2019 - Mar 2021)
• Ben Westlake-Tritton – Former Deputy Head of RRU , then Director at Mercury (Public Strategy firm)
• Ryan White – Work Shadowing in RRU (Feb 2020), then Digital Content Officer at Department for Education
• Oliver Marsh – Former Senior Data Analyst and Stakeholder Lead, RRU , then Head of Data Adequacy (DCMS)
• Hyo Adams – Former Data Analyst, RRU (Nov 18 to Oct 19), then Professional Development Officer, Cabinet Office
• Chris Hamilton – Former Head of Communications, Launched RRU (May 17 – Sept 19), then Managing Editor at BP

See also

GCHQ

• National Cyber Security Centre
• Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group

DCMS

• Counter Disinformation Cell (AKA Disinformation & Misinformation Unit) - DCMS is the lead department.
• Counter Disinformation Unit
• National Security Online Information Team

Cabinet Office

• Government Communication Service
• Rapid Response Unit
• National Security Communications Team

MoD

• 77th Brigade
• Specialist Group Military Intelligence

FCO/FCDO

• Counter-Daesh Coalition Communications Cell
• Counter Disinformation and Media Development
• Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
• Government Information Cell

Resources

• CHRIS KING AND PROF. DAVID MILLER UK INFORMATION OPERATIONS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS What roles are secretive British army units 77th Brigade and Specialist Group Military Intelligence playing in the UK government’s battle against coronavirus? Declassified UK. 30 SEPTEMBER 2020.
• https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/blog/how-we-are-fighting-the-spread-of-false-coronavirus-information-online/
• Fact Sheet on the CDU and RRU, GOV.UK, 9 June 2023.