UK politics live: Tories accuse Burnham of being ‘dangerous and divisive’ after he confirms Russian interference in Brexit campaign

Shadow minister says referendum was a ‘legitimate vote’ and PM is seeking to ‘reopen debate’ with statement on Russia’s involvement Burnham to urge MPs to embrace closer ties with EU In his Rest is Politics interview, Andy Burnham said he found the US proposal to livestream the execution of a mass killer by firing squad “abhorrent”. Asked if Britain would take a stand on this, he replied: It’s something that I can’t say I ever want to see anywhere in the world. It’s something that I find quite abhorrent in many ways. But I only want to speak for what we will do, and why we will do it. Let Britain stand for something in a world that seems to change every day. 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.’ 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. We have had a decade of drift and division that has caused more harm than good. In my view, we are a more fractious country than we were. We have a weaker sense of direction. And these are all the things I’m trying to fix as prime minister. I want to draw a line on that decade … And one thing I did say to Chancellor Merz yesterday is, ‘We need to support you in taking on the threat that you face and particularly the type of politics that you’re facing.’ He was saying to me that the AfD is clearly linked to Russia, funded, I believe. Continue reading...