BURNHAM SAYS RUSSIA INTERFERED IN 2016 BREXIT REFERENDUM

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the UK government is "clear" that Russia interfered in the 2016 referendum on EU membership. He said that after entering Downing Street over the summer, he asked officials whether Moscow had interfered in the vote and was given "the clear answer that yes there was." Burnham made the comments in an interview recorded for the Rest Is Politics podcast, due for release on Monday. He said he believed it was important to put the matter "clearly on the record" to help voters in Germany and France understand that "some of this politics is instigated via our enemies," pointing to the rise of far-right parties in both countries.

Burnham's remarks follow a 2020 finding by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee that the government had failed to fully assess the potential impact of Russian state-run media and "troll" accounts on the EU referendum campaign. Burnham said he raised the issue of foreign interference during a meeting this week in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is dealing with recent regional election gains for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. According to Burnham, Merz told him the AfD was "clearly linked to Russia, funded I believe." Burnham said he told Merz the UK would support Germany "in taking on the threat that you face," and said there was "certainly misinformation, disinformation" reaching German politics from Russia.

Burnham had already raised the issue of Russian information warfare in a speech to the UN General Assembly last month, in which he said there was evidence Moscow had attempted to interfere in the 2019 general election. One report covering his latest remarks also linked them to wider speculation about Burnham's position on the UK rejoining the EU. The podcast episode containing his comments is scheduled for release on Monday.