Burnham admits Russian interference in 2016 Brexit referendum

Admission of influence on the 2016 vote

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that Russia interfered in the referendum on the country's withdrawal from the European Union, which took place in 2016. This information became known through BBC coverage, which cites materials from the podcast The Rest Is Politics.

According to the head of the British government, after taking office, he personally asked whether Russia had attempted to influence the results of the vote at that time. In response, he received confirmation of such interference.

Criticism of the government's passive stance

Burnham expressed disappointment at how the threat was addressed at the time. He emphasised that the authorities were too passive and did not sufficiently inform citizens about the scale of attempts from abroad to disrupt the political process.

«Я вважаю, що ми насправді занадто пасивно ставилися до цього питання і недостатньо інформували людей про те, наскільки активно з-за кордону намагаються зірвати політичний процес» (I believe that we were actually too passive about this issue and did not inform people sufficiently about how actively attempts are being made from abroad to disrupt the political process), Burnham stated.

At the same time, the Prime Minister did not provide specific details regarding the nature and scale of Russian activities during the Brexit vote.

Reaction from EU withdrawal supporters

Burnham's statements were criticised by representatives of the group Britain Unbound, which supports the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The organisation called the Prime Minister's words "another crude attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the decision made by the British people in 2016".

In an official statement, Britain Unbound emphasised that foreign interference in elections is unacceptable, but denied that there was substantial evidence to believe that Russia influenced the referendum result.

«Також образливим є припущення, що виборців так легко обдурили» (It is also offensive to assume that voters were so easily fooled), the group noted.

Warning for France and Germany

In addition, Andy Burnham reported that during his visit to Germany in early October, he discussed the threats of Russian interference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

«Безумовно, існує дезінформація, яка надходить із Росії у німецьку політику» (Undoubtedly, there is disinformation coming from Russia into German politics), the British Prime Minister said.

He emphasised the importance of openly discussing these risks so that voters in Germany and France are aware that some political processes may be subject to influence from Russia.

According to the BBC, Burnham's remarks marked the first instance in which a UK Prime Minister publicly and directly acknowledged Russian interference in the Brexit referendum.