Politics · United Kingdom · 6 hrs ago
Burnham says Russia influenced the 2016 Brexit vote
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Russia influenced the 2016 referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.
He said he was given that answer after asking about possible Kremlin interference when he arrived at Downing Street.
British voters backed leaving the EU by 51.9 percent.
Burnham did not provide specific evidence or examples of how Russia influenced the vote.
Previous Conservative governments denied Russian influence, while a parliamentary committee said in 2020 that the government and intelligence services had failed to investigate the suspicions thoroughly.
Russia has denied interfering in elections abroad, and a pro-Brexit group said there was no good reason to believe Russian influence changed the referendum result.
Burnham said he also discussed Russian disinformation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and argued that voters should be told about foreign interference.
Andy Burnham said Russia influenced the 2016 Brexit referendum, citing an answer he received after asking about possible Kremlin involvement.
He did not provide specific examples or evidence of how the influence occurred.
The statement makes Burnham the first British prime minister to confirm Russian influence on the referendum, according to n-tv.
The pro-Brexit group Britain Unbound said there was no good reason to believe Russian influence affected the result.
The Kremlin has consistently denied interfering in foreign elections.
- Who
- Andy Burnham, the British prime minister, said Russia influenced the referendum.
- What
- Burnham said the Kremlin influenced the 2016 Brexit vote. He gave no specific examples.
- When
- The referendum was held in 2016. Burnham made the statement in a podcast discussed in an article published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- The vote was held in the United Kingdom.
- Why
- Not stated
Andy Burnham
Britain Unbound
Evidence of Russian influence
Andy Burnham
Burnham said he received a clear answer that Russian influence on the referendum had occurred.
Britain Unbound
Britain Unbound said there was no good reason to believe Russian influence affected the referendum result.
Meaning of the statement
Andy Burnham
Burnham said such influence should be clearly identified and voters informed about foreign interference.
Britain Unbound
Britain Unbound called his remarks an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the 2016 decision.
I had the clear answer: Yes, that did happen
There is no good reason to believe that Russian influence affected the result of the Brexit referendum.
There is undoubtedly misinformation and disinformation coming from Russia into German politics.
Voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, with 51.9 percent supporting leaving.
A parliamentary committee report criticised the government and intelligence services for not thoroughly investigating suspected Russian influence.
Burnham spoke at the UN General Assembly about hostile actors and Russian disinformation.
Burnham visited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and said he had discussed Kremlin influence with him.
n-tv published an article reporting Burnham's statement about Russian influence on the Brexit referendum.
- Referendum year
- 2016
- Vote to leave
- 51.9 percent
- Burnham's office
- Prime minister since July, according to the article
- Podcast
- The Rest is Politics
- Group rejecting a link to the result
- Britain Unbound
Sources
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