UK PM Burnham says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, warning voters in France and Germany about Moscow-backed efforts to influence their political systems.

Burnham, who became Britain’s prime minister in July, said he had received confirmation that Russia interfered in the referendum held a decade ago. He is the first British prime minister to publicly state that there was evidence of Russian interference in the vote.

“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,” Burnham said in an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast released on Sunday.

However, Burnham did not explain how Russia allegedly interfered in the referendum or provide details of the evidence supporting his statement. The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia has previously denied meddling in the Brexit vote, accusing Britain of being gripped by anti-Russian hysteria. Burnham’s remarks contrast with those of former prime minister Boris Johnson, who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union and said in 2020 that there was no evidence of Russian interference.

In the 2016 referendum, Britons voted 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave the European Union, triggering the country’s biggest political crisis since World War Two.

Burnham said voters in European democracies needed to be better informed about attempts to disrupt their political processes, particularly those allegedly backed by foreign adversaries.

“These things are important now to put clearly on the record, and I believe, help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia,” he said.

A report published by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee in 2020 found that the British government had failed to establish whether Russia interfered in the 2016 referendum. The report also concluded that Russia had sought to influence Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum, in which voters rejected independence.

Burnham said last month that he could campaign for Britain to rejoin the European Union at the next general election, reopening the country’s divisive debate over its relationship with the bloc.

Credit: Reuters