UK PM Andy Burnham says it is ‘clear’ Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote

The claim marks the first time a UK prime minister has publicly acknowledged Russia’s interference in the vote to leave the EU.UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said it is “clear” that Russia interfered in the country’s 2016 Brexit vote, warning French and German voters of the same threat.“I asked the question coming to Downing Street: Was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia? And I’ve had the clear answer that yes, there was,” Burnham said in an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast released on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UK Greens leader seeks rule change after party declares Zionism is racismlist 2 of 3Photos: Thousands march across Europe to demand end to Israel’s war on Gazalist 3 of 3Has Israel shut the UK consulate in East Jerusalem – or downgraded it?end of listBurnham’s comments mark the first time a UK prime minister has publicly acknowledged that Russia interfered in the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. Burnham did not provide evidence for or details on the claim.He said that “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.”Burnham said he spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about possible links between Russia and the far-right Germany" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3089" data-entity-type="organization">Alternative for Germany party when the two leaders met last week in Berlin.In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Burnham also condemned Russia’s attempt to interfere in the UK’s 2019 general election.According to a 2020 report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, the UK government had failed to ask for a deep assessment of Russia’s interference in the 2016 referendum. The report did confirm that Russia had meddled in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, however.Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in Western democracies or interfering in another country’s elections or referendums, casting the UK as being gripped by “anti-Russian hysteria”.