Andy Burnham says Russia ‘clearly’ interfered in 2016 Brexit referendum as he gives latest hint at bid to rejoin EU

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR 09:59 11 Oct 2026, updated 10:20 11 Oct 2026

Andy Burnham has claimed Russia ‘clearly’ interfered in the Brexit referendum – in another hint at a push to rejoin the EU.

The PM said he had asked on arriving in Downing Street whether Moscow had meddled in the 2016 contest, and was given the answer ‘yes’.

The comments, in an appearance on the Rest is Politics podcast, are thought to be the first time a premier has publicly declared there was foreign influence on the outcome a decade ago. It is bound to fuel speculation about Mr Burnham bidding to reverse Brexit.

He used his Labour conference speech to reopen the issue of EU membership – despite vowing before ousting Keir Starmer that he would not.

Mr Burnham told Europhile party activists that he wanted to explore ‘options’ including committing to rejoin the next election manifesto. He refused to say whether there would need to be another referendum.

Speaking on the podcast, Mr Burnham said he had spoken to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the influence of Russia during a visit to Berlin this week.

‘There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics,’ he said.

‘But I asked the question coming to Downing Street: was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia?

‘And I’ve had the clear answer that yes, there was.

‘I mean, these things are important now to put clearly on the record and help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia.’

Mr Burnham said the UK had been ‘too much on the back foot’ and as a result voters had not been ‘informed sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas’.

Brexiteers have consistently played down the impact of any foreign influence on the outcome of the referendum, pointing out that the result was clear.

Speaking at the UN general assembly last month, Mr Burnham referred more broadly to Russian meddling.

He said: ‘We have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 general election. We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events.’

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