Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain is certain Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum, arguing that the disclosure should help voters in Germany and France recognize how foreign powers can shape domestic politics.
After entering No 10 in the summer, Mr Burnham said he asked whether Moscow had intervened in the 2016 vote on EU membership. He was given what he described as “the clear answer that yes there was”.
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The Prime Minister said he wanted the finding “clearly on the record”, particularly as far-right parties gain ground in Germany and France. He said voters needed to understand that “some of this politics is instigated via our enemies”.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee concluded in 2020 that the Government had failed to fully assess the possible impact of Russian state-run media and “troll” accounts on the EU referendum.
Britain voted to leave the EU on 23 June 2016
With Mr Merz facing the AfD’s recent successes in regional elections, Mr Burnham said: “One thing I did say to Chancellor Merz – is we need to support you in taking on the threat that you face and particularly the type of politics that you’re facing.
“You know he was saying to me that the AfD are clearly linked to Russia, funded I believe.”
He added that “there is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics”.
Mr Burnham also condemned Russia’s information warfare during a speech to the UN General Assembly last month, when he said there was evidence Moscow had attempted to interfere in the 2019 general election.
Speaking on the podcast, he said: “I asked the question coming to Downing Street, well was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia? 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.
“I think we’ve been too much on the back-foot on that actually and we haven’t informed people sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas.”
In his latest Labour conference speech, Mr Burnham outlined plans to build political agreement over the UK’s future relationship with Brussels. He has also kept open the possibility of a future manifesto commitment to rejoin the bloc.
