Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the 2016 Brexit referendum result was "legitimate" despite claiming Russian interference occurred during the vote, Downing Street confirmed Monday.
A No. 10 spokesman stated it was "inconceivable" that Russia did not attempt to use the referendum to its advantage, but that Burnham believed such interference did not succeed in changing the outcome. "Yes we believe the referendum result was legitimate," the spokesman said after repeated questioning. "The PM absolutely accepts the referendum result."
Burnham told The Rest is Politics podcast he asked about Russian interference upon taking office and received "the clear answer that, yes, there was." He cited "certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia" but did not detail the nature or extent of activities during the 2016 vote. Foreign Minister Stephen Doughty declined to provide specifics but said Russia had been "attempting to interfere in a series of democratic events."
The comments triggered immediate pushback from Brexit supporters. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Burnham "a liar" and said "there was no Russian interference." Conservative shadow minister Katie Lam said the prime minister "risks sowing doubt about the result of a professionally-run, independently-monitored democratic vote."
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on X that in 2016, security services told him "there was no evidence of any successful interference in the 2016 referendum, by Russia or any other power." He questioned whether the security services had changed their assessment or whether Burnham was misrepresenting what he had been told.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey backed Burnham, saying the statement "needed to be said by a prime minister" and praising him for taking action "after the Conservatives suppressed the truth for years."
A 2020 parliamentary report did not reach firm conclusions on whether Russia attempted intervention in UK elections and referendums but criticized the government for failing to assess and counter Russian accounts on social media. An independent government review published earlier this year said there were attempts to "sow distrust and exacerbate divisions" but noted it was difficult to establish the impact of such efforts.