The UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that Russia interfered with the Brexit referendum, citing a clear answer from his inquiry upon arriving in office.
What happened
Burnham expressed concerns that voters were not sufficiently informed about the extent of foreign interference in the political process. He discussed the issue with Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his visit to Germany, highlighting the presence of Russian misinformation and disinformation in German politics.
A pro-Brexit campaign group, Britain Unbound, responded by calling Burnham's comments an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the 2016 decision, arguing that there is no reason to believe Russian intervention influenced the outcome.
This is not the first warning about Russian efforts to exert influence on UK politics. In 2020, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee published a report criticizing successive governments for failing to fully assess or counter the threat. The Russian foreign minister dismissed the report, and a Kremlin spokesman denied any meddling in other countries' elections.
The UK has tracked Russian-linked disinformation campaigns, including the use of AI to create fake videos impersonating journalists and news organizations. The UK Electoral Commission has also warned that Russian deepfake videos have been used extensively in elections around the world.
