British Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, adding that similar activities are taking place in France and Germany.

According to the UK's BBC on the 11th (local time), Prime Minister Burnham made the remarks during an appearance on the political podcast "The Rest is Politics."

He stated that after taking office as Prime Minister, he checked into the possibility of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum and "received a clear answer that there was interference."

"In fact, I think we have been overly defensive on this issue," he added, noting that "we have not adequately informed the public about the extent to which attempts are being made to disrupt political processes from abroad."

However, Prime Minister Burnham did not elaborate on which agency provided the answer, how Russia intervened, or whether it actually influenced the referendum results.

The BBC noted that this is the first time a British Prime Minister has publicly stated that Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum.

In response to the Prime Minister's remarks, the pro-Brexit group "Britain Unbound" criticized them as "a crude attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the decision made by the British people in 2016."

The group argued that while foreign interference in British elections is "clearly unacceptable," there is "no credible basis to believe that Russian interference affected the outcome of the 2016 referendum."

Burnham also revealed that during his recent visit to Germany, he discussed the issue of Russian interference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"It is clear that disinformation originating from Russia is flowing into German politics," he said.

He added that "it is important to make this clear and official now," stating that it would "help German and French voters understand that certain political movements are being fostered by our adversary, Russia."

Even before Prime Minister Burnham's recent remarks, warnings had emerged within British political circles that Russia was attempting to exert influence over British politics.

In 2020, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of the UK Parliament released a report investigating potential Russian interference in British elections and the Brexit referendum.

At the time, the report did not reach a definitive conclusion on whether Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum, but criticized the British government and intelligence agencies for failing to adequately assess the related threats.
 
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