Eurovision: MP seeks assurances contest voting will be protected from Russian threats | Ents & Arts News

Threats to voting on the Eurovision tune contest in Liverpool from Russian brokers or cyber assaults can be handled by the UK’s safety consultants, MPs have been assured.

MPs within the Commons flagged considerations to the federal government that Russia may search to disrupt the voting throughout the contest, which is considered globally by greater than 160 million folks.

This yr’s contest will be held in Liverpool, after organisers deemed it unsafe to carry it in Ukraine, final yr’s winners, which is at present at war with Russia.

Police in Italy final yr claimed Russia had tried to intrude with the voting throughout the first semi-final of the 2022 contest, but it surely was thwarted by its cyber-security groups.

Conservative MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, requested within the Home of Commons: “Final yr throughout the Eurovision Tune Contest, Russian brokers tried to intrude with the voting that was being made for Ukraine.

“This yr, after all, we’re internet hosting the Eurovision Tune Contest.

“What’s [the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology] doing to make sure that the integrity of the voting can be maintained?”

Paul Scully, a minister for expertise and the digital financial system, replied: “The federal government is all the time conscious there are a selection of doable threats to our programs and our occasions.

“I am not in a position to focus on the small print however the Nationwide Cyber Safety Centre are world consultants at understanding assaults and offering incident response for essentially the most critical of assaults.

“We need to guarantee that all organisations are conscious, so we will certainly maintain that resilience in our voting course of.”

Learn extra on Eurovision:
On the ground in Liverpool as EuroFestival transforms city
King and Queen meet UK’s Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller
Stars warm up in front of UK crowd

The competition kicks off on Tuesday 9 Might, when the primary semi-final will get below method at Liverpool’s M&S Financial institution Enviornment, with the grand closing on Saturday 13 Might.

Mae Muller is the UK’s entrant for 2023, along with her catchy pop anthem I Wrote A Tune, and can be hoping to beat the favourites of Sweden’s Loreen or Finland’s Kaarija to seize the trophy.