LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says it is clear that Russia interfered with The British vote to leave the European Unionadding that it was important to report Moscow’s falsifications because countries across Europe face the same threat.
In excerpts from “The Rest is Politics” podcast released on Sunday, Burnham said that when he became prime minister in July, he asked his advisers whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 referendum. The full podcast is due to be released on Monday.
“I got the clear answer that yes, there was,” Burnham said. “It’s important now that these things are clearly on the record and I think it will help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this policy is instigated by our enemies, namely Russia.”
Russia has long maintained that it does not interfere in other countries’ elections or referendums.
Burnham’s comments come as British intelligence agencies warn of the growing threat of Russian interference in Britain’s democratic institutions. This intervention would be the first time that a British Prime Minister has publicly acknowledged Russian interference in the Brexit vote.
Burnham said he spoke to the German chancellor Frédéric Merz on possible links between Russia and the far-right Alternative for Germany party when the two leaders met last week in Berlin.
“You know, he was telling me that the AfD is clearly linked to Russia, funded I believe,” Burnham said. “There is certainly disinformation, disinformation coming from Russia and aimed at German politics,” he added.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that the government had not fully assessed the impact that Russian state media and “troll” accounts could have had on the EU referendum.
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