Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there was Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, revealing that he asked the question on arriving in Downing Street and was given "the clear answer that yes, there was".
The Prime Minister made the comments in an interview due to be released on Monday, in which he also described his talks this week in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the threat posed by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
Andy Burnham: 'Important now to put clearly on the record'
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."
Support for Germany
Recalling his meeting with Chancellor Merz, the Prime Minister 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."
He added: "There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics."
Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee concluded in 2020 that the government of the day had failed to fully assess the impact that Russian state-run media and "troll" accounts could have had on the EU referendum.
Last month, in his address to the UN General Assembly, Andy Burnham took aim at Russian information warfare and said there was evidence that Moscow had tried to interfere in the 2019 general election.
Britain's future with Europe
The intervention comes as the Prime Minister seeks political consensus on the UK's long-term relationship with the European Union. In his conference speech he said he would set out the options for that relationship around the time of the next UK-EU summit, and he has left open the possibility of a future manifesto commitment on rejoining.
