KABUL (Pajhwok): UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, warning that similar activities are taking place in France and Germany, the BBC reported.
Burnham told The Rest Is Politics podcast that, after arriving at 10 Downing Street, he had asked about possible Russian interference in the referendum and received a clear answer that it had occurred.
“I’ve had the clear answer that, yes, there was,” he said.
“I think we’ve been too much on the back foot on that actually, and we haven’t informed people sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas,” he added.
Burnham did not provide further details about the nature or extent of Moscow’s activities during the Brexit referendum.
Britain Unbound, a pro-Brexit campaign group, described Burnham’s comments as “another crude attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the decision that the British people made in 2016”.
The group said foreign interference in UK elections was “obviously unacceptable”, but added: “There is no good reason to believe that Russian intervention influenced the outcome of the referendum in 2016.”
“It is also insulting to suggest that voters were so easily duped,” it said.
In the interview, which was due to be released on Monday, Burnham said he had discussed Russian interference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his visit to Germany earlier this week.
“There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics,” he said.
He added: “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.”
The report said this was the first time a UK prime minister had stated that Russia sought to influence the 2016 Brexit referendum, although concerns about the Kremlin’s efforts to influence British politics had been raised for years.
PAN Monitor/sa
