UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday became the first British leader to openly complain of Russian tampering in the Brexit referendum a decade ago.
Burnham, who took on the role in July from Keir Starmer, thinks leaving the European Union did “more harm than good” and has opened the door to closer ties, including possibly rejoining the bloc.
What did Burnham say?
Burnham told The Rest Is Politics podcast that he had posed the question upon first arriving in Downing Street, and was given a “clear answer that yes, there was [a link to Russian interference].”
He did not provide evidence of the Kremlin’s efforts to influence the June 2016 vote, where the UK decided to leave the EU by a 52% to 48% majority.
With the rise of far-right parties in the UK and across the EU, Burnham said voters needed better information about efforts by rogue states to disrupt their democracies.
“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,” he said.
Burnham described how German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had told him during talks in Berlin this week that the AfD is “clearly linked to Russia — funded, I believe.”
“There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics,” Burnham added.
‘Leaver’ Johnson denied Russian meddling
Burnham’s Brexit remarks contrast with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who campaigned to leave the EU. In 2020, Johnson said there was no evidence of Russian sway.
The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that the government had failed to fully assess how Russian state-run media and “troll” accounts could have impacted the vote.
In its report, the Committee also found the Kremlin sought to influence Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum, which was rejected by voters.
The UK’s intelligence agencies believe Russia continues to spread disinformation to undermine public trust, alongside cyberattacks, sabotage and espionage. They say the issue is getting worse and is often aided by artificial intelligence (AI).
Russia has long denied meddling in other countries’ elections or referendums.
After the Brexit vote, it cast some British politicians as gripped by anti-Russian hysteria.
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How have UK attitudes toward Brexit changed?
Polling firm YouGov runs a regular tracker on whether the UK was right or wrong to vote to quit.
Since mid-2022, a majority of people surveyed said Britain was wrong to leave. Last month, the “Bregret” camp rose to 60% — the highest ever.
Last month, Burnham said he would seek a political consensus on the country’s future relationship with the EU, even suggesting he could campaign to take Britain back into the bloc at the next election.
EU officials have welcomed the change in tone from London, while France and Spain have spoken positively about closer ties, including rejoining.
Some experts remain skeptical, however. Professor Iain Begg of the London School of Economics thinks rejoining would reopen deep political divisions, be complicated from both the EU and UK sides and likely take years.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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