British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said it is "clear" that Russia interfered in the United Kingdom's 2016 Brexit referendum, becoming the first person to hold the office to acknowledge such interference publicly.
Burnham made the claim in an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast released on Sunday. He said that on arriving at Downing Street he had asked his advisers a direct question — whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 referendum — and received an unambiguous affirmative answer. He did not spell out how he believed Russia had interfered, nor did he provide details of the evidence behind the assessment.
Warning to European voters
The prime minister framed the disclosure as a warning to voters elsewhere in Europe. He said it was important to put the matter clearly on the record so that voters in Germany and France understand that some of the politics they see is instigated by Britain's enemies, "namely Russia". Burnham also said he had discussed possible links between Russia and Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party with Chancellor Friedrich Merz when the two leaders met in Berlin last week.
The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the Brexit vote, previously dismissing such claims as anti-Russian hysteria.
Break with past position
Burnham's remarks mark a sharp departure from the position of previous governments. Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who campaigned for Leave, said in 2020 that there was no evidence of Russian interference in the referendum. A 2020 report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found that the government had failed to establish whether Russia had meddled in the vote — though it did confirm that Moscow had sought to influence Scotland's 2014 independence referendum.
Burnham took over as Britain's leader in July. Last month he said Britain could consider rejoining the European Union in the future, reopening the country's long-running debate over its relationship with the continent. Britons voted 52%-48% to leave the EU in 2016.
Sources:
UK PM Burnham says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote — Reuters
UK PM Andy Burnham says it is 'clear' Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote — Al Jazeera
Burnham made the claim in an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast released on Sunday. He said that on arriving at Downing Street he had asked his advisers a direct question — whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 referendum — and received an unambiguous affirmative answer. He did not spell out how he believed Russia had interfered, nor did he provide details of the evidence behind the assessment.
Warning to European voters
The prime minister framed the disclosure as a warning to voters elsewhere in Europe. He said it was important to put the matter clearly on the record so that voters in Germany and France understand that some of the politics they see is instigated by Britain's enemies, "namely Russia". Burnham also said he had discussed possible links between Russia and Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party with Chancellor Friedrich Merz when the two leaders met in Berlin last week.
The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the Brexit vote, previously dismissing such claims as anti-Russian hysteria.
Break with past position
Burnham's remarks mark a sharp departure from the position of previous governments. Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who campaigned for Leave, said in 2020 that there was no evidence of Russian interference in the referendum. A 2020 report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found that the government had failed to establish whether Russia had meddled in the vote — though it did confirm that Moscow had sought to influence Scotland's 2014 independence referendum.
Burnham took over as Britain's leader in July. Last month he said Britain could consider rejoining the European Union in the future, reopening the country's long-running debate over its relationship with the continent. Britons voted 52%-48% to leave the EU in 2016.
Sources:
UK PM Burnham says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote — Reuters
UK PM Andy Burnham says it is 'clear' Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote — Al Jazeera
