UK Prime Minister Burnham says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit referendum

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said it is clear that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Burnham said that on entering Downing Street he asked whether Russia had interfered in the referendum. He said he was given "the clear answer" that it had. He did not disclose who gave him the assessment.

The Guardian quoted him as saying: "I asked the question coming to Downing Street: well, was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia? I've had the clear answer that yes, there was."

Burnham said it was important to put the matter "clearly on the record" to help voters in Germany and France understand that "some of this politics is instigated via our enemies".

According to The Guardian, Burnham made the remarks on the podcast The Rest is Politics. The Guardian reported that he did not say what evidence the assessment was based on, or whether any interference affected the result. According to the South China Morning Post, Burnham entered No 10 a few months before making the remarks.

Background

In 2020, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found that the government had failed to fully assess Russian activity aimed at the EU referendum. This included activity through Russian state-backed media and social media accounts. According to The Guardian, the committee said the government had provided no post-referendum assessment, unlike the investigation in the US after the 2016 presidential election. The committee also said it mattered whether a hostile state had tried to influence a democratic process, whether or not it succeeded.

According to The Guardian, past Conservative governments insisted there was no evidence of successful Russian interference in the referendum. The Guardian described Burnham's comments as a significant departure from that position. The Guardian also reported that, last month, the prime minister told the UN General Assembly there was evidence Moscow had tried to interfere with the 2019 general election.

Burnham also said he discussed the threat posed by Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin this week, according to The Guardian.

What each side says

• Andy Burnham says Russia interfered in the 2016 referendum. He says Britain has been "too much on the back foot" on hostile-state interference and has not informed people sufficiently. He also says Russian misinformation and disinformation is entering German politics.
• Friedrich Merz, as relayed by Burnham, said the AfD is "clearly linked to Russia". Burnham added: "funded, I believe."
• Past Conservative governments, as characterised by The Guardian, said there was no evidence of successful Russian interference.

What the reports do not include

The reports do not describe the evidence behind the assessment or the nature and scale of the alleged interference. They do not include responses from the Russian government, the Conservative Party, Merz, the German government or the AfD.

Analysis

Burnham's remarks place a sitting prime minister's assessment on the record, but without its source or evidence. This leaves open questions that the 2020 committee report also raised. One possible path is pressure from MPs or campaigners to publish the assessment or open a formal inquiry; the reports do not say whether either is planned. Another is that the claim remains a political statement without public evidence. The remarks may also shape debate in Germany and France, which Burnham said he hoped to inform. Responses from Moscow, UK opposition parties and German parties, not included in the reports, could influence how the claim is received.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.