Burnham confirms Russian meddling

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Russia clearly interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He revealed he asked about Moscow's involvement on arriving in No 10 this summer.

“I've had the clear answer that yes, there was.”

First PM to make public confirmation

Burnham's comments on the Rest is Politics podcast are thought to be the first time a Prime Minister has publicly confirmed Kremlin meddling in the referendum.

Burnham discussed with German Chancellor

Burnham told the podcast he had spoken to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about Russian influence during a recent visit to Berlin.

UK was too passive on foreign threats

Burnham said the UK had been too much on the back foot, leaving voters uninformed about the extent to which overseas enemies seek to disrupt the political process.

Parliament found Russian state media role

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found in two thousand twenty that the Government failed to fully assess the impact Russian state-run media and troll accounts could have had on the referendum.

Pro-EU groups welcome the confirmation

Richard Kilpatrick from European Movement UK said the confirmation validates years of suspicion. Naomi Smith of Best for Britain said restoring EU membership is the only option to repair the damage.

Burnham also cited 2019 election interference

Speaking at the UN general assembly in New York last month, Burnham said there is evidence Russia tried to interfere with the two thousand nineteen general election and has tried to stoke tensions.