UK PM Andy Burnham says Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit vote, a first for a British prime minister

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said it is "clear" that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, the first time a sitting British prime minister has publicly said so, Al Jazeera reported. Asked about it on The Rest Is Politics podcast, in an interview released on Sunday, Burnham said: "I've had the clear answer that yes, there was."

He did not set out any evidence or say what form the interference took.

Why Burnham says it matters now

Burnham said the claims should be put "clearly on the record" so that voters in Germany and France can see that some of their politics is "instigated via our enemies, namely Russia". He said he had asked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when they met in Berlin last week, about possible Russian links to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). At the UN General Assembly in September he had already condemned a Russian attempt to interfere in the UK's 2019 general election.

What was known before

• The UK Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found in its 2020 Russia report that the government had not asked for a proper assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 vote, while confirming Russian meddling in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
• Russia denies interfering in Western elections and describes the UK as gripped by "anti-Russian hysteria".
• No new inquiry or government action was announced alongside Burnham's remarks.

The bigger picture: Burnham and the EU

Last month Burnham said the UK should rethink its future relationship with the European Union, including rejoining, arguing that Brexit failed to deliver on its promise of "taking back control". Saying the referendum was targeted by Russia adds weight to that argument, and critics are likely to press him to publish what he has been told.

Why it matters in Pakistan

Britain is home to one of the largest Pakistani communities abroad, and Brexit changed the rules for many of them: who could move between the UK and Europe, and how trade with the EU works. Any move back towards the EU would matter for students, workers and families with ties to both. If you send or receive money from the UK, today's pound rate in Pakistan is on our data page.