Burnham says he was told Russia interfered in Brexit vote

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was told Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, renewing questions about foreign activity around the vote but not establishing that it changed the result. Burnham said he asked about Russian interference after entering Downing Street and received a clear answer that it had occurred. He made the remarks in excerpts from an interview for The Rest Is Politics podcast. The full episode was scheduled for release on October 12, 2026. Burnham did not identify who gave him the answer or disclose the evidence behind it. A 2020 report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee criticized the government for failing to fully assess possible Russian activity in the referendum. The committee cited the potential impact of Russian state-backed media and online accounts, including accounts described as trolls. It did not determine whether such activity affected the result, and its findings do not establish that interference changed the outcome. Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty offered a different assessment, saying Russia had attempted to interfere but had not succeeded.