Burnham: Russia tried to influence Brexit vote

Not revealing any details

Burnham does not give details about who presented the information or what it is based on., writes The Guardian.

It is also not clear whether his informant believes that the influence attempts had the intended effect. In the referendum, a narrow majority - 51.9 percent - voted to leave the EU.

It is the first time a British prime minister has accused Russia of trying to influence the process. In 2020, however, the then Conservative government stated that it was "almost certain" that Russia had tried to influence the 2019 general election.

Warning: In progress in other countries

In the podcast, Burnham also warns that similar influence attempts are underway in other European countries.

- There is absolutely incorrect information being spread from Russia, knowingly and unknowingly, to German politics.

- This is important to bring to the table to help German and French voters understand that some of this policy is instigated by our enemies, namely Russia, says Burnham.

Opens for British re-entry

The statement has drawn criticism from Britain Unbound, a group that campaigned for Brexit. The group called Burnham's statement "another crude attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the decision taken by the British people in 2016". It is also believed that it is "insulting" to think that voters would be so easily influenced, writes the BBC.

Burnham opened up the other week to make British re-entry into the EU part of Labour's platform in the upcoming election. Three quarters of the party's voters are in favor of such a step, writes The Independent.

The conversation with Burnham in The Rest is Politics will be published in its entirety on Monday, according to the BBC.