Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said an international coalition was needed to strengthen cybersecurity against state actors and criminals seeking to subvert democratic norms. Authoritarian states were "bending the principles to meet their own malicious ends", he told an online conference organised by Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). "These actors are the industrial-scale vandals of the 21st century. They want to undermine the very foundations of our democracy," he added.

Raab said there was a "clash of values" between countries wanting to protect "open societies" and others pushing an "authoritarian international system". It follows on from a call last week by foreign ministers of the G7 which Britain currently heads for a more joined-up approach to tackle global threats, including in cyberspace.