Burnham becomes first PM to confirm Russian interference in Brexit vote
Andy Burnham has said Russia “clearly” interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum after he left open the door to the UK rejoining the EU.
The prime minister revealed that he had asked, on his arrival in No 10 this summer, whether Moscow had been involved in the vote - and was given “the clear answer that yes, there was”.
The comments, made during an appearance on the Rest is Politics podcast, are thought to be the first time a PM has confirmed meddling by the Kremlin and will fuel speculation Mr Burnham wants to reverse Brexit.
The prime minister announced at Labour’s annual conference last month that he would look at options that would take Britain closer to the bloc and suggested that rejoining the EU could be in Labour’s next election manifesto.
Mr Burnham also told the podcast he had spoken to the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the influence of Russia during a recent visit to Berlin.
“There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics," he said.
“But I asked the question coming to Downing Street: was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia?
“And I've had the clear answer that yes, there was.
“I mean, these things are important now to put clearly on the record and help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia.”
Mr Burnham said the UK had been “too much on the back foot” and as a result voters had not been “informed sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas”.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that the Government failed to fully assess the impact Russian state-run media and “troll” accounts could have had on the EU referendum
Speaking at the UN general assembly in New York last month, Mr Burnham also hit out at Russian interference.
He said: “We have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 general election. We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events.”
A Downing Street spokesperson declined to comment on the nature of the prime minister's briefing but said: “National security is the first duty of any government. We are focused on ensuring our citizens and our institutions are protected from foreign powers and their proxies seeking to threaten lives and undermine our democratic values.”
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