UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, marking the first time a UK prime minister has publicly made the claim.
Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, Burnham said that after entering Downing Street he asked whether Russia had sought to influence the vote and received “the clear answer that, yes, there was”. He did not provide further details or evidence.
Burnham said the UK had been “too much on the back foot” and had not sufficiently informed the public about overseas attempts to disrupt democratic processes. He added that it was important to “put clearly on the record” the threat of Russian-backed misinformation and disinformation, saying similar activities were affecting politics in Germany and France.
A 2020 Intelligence and Security Committee report criticised previous governments for failing to fully assess Russian interference in the Brexit referendum but did not reach a definitive conclusion. The UK government said it continues to strengthen national security, democratic resilience and intelligence capabilities to counter foreign interference.
ℹ️ The Rest is Politics via BBC News
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