By Alex Wickham | Updated on Oct 12, 2026 at 10:53 AM
A UK government minister tried to play down Andy Burnham’s claim of Russian interference in the Brexit vote of 10 years ago, ahead of what is likely to be a fraught debate over the prime minister’s plan for closer ties with the European Union.
Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said while speaking for the government on Monday broadcast rounds that Russia tried, but failed to influence the result of the 2016 referendum. He was responding to remarks by Burnham published over the weekend that Russia had interfered in the vote, linking it to ongoing efforts to disrupt the political process in Western capitals.
The government is scrambling to reconcile the prime minister’s statement with the long-standing official position that there was no evidence of successful efforts by the Kremlin to interfere in Brexit. The opposition Conservative Party criticized the remarks.
“That Brexit referendum was a legitimate vote. People voted in this country in record numbers to leave the European Union,” said shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie in an interview with Times Radio. “I actually think it’s very dangerous and divisive of the prime minister to reopen this debate in such an explosive fashion.”
The debate over Russia’s role illustrated the risks to Burnham after he announced plans for a national debate about a closer relationship with the European Union at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool two weeks ago. The prime minister is due to explain his plans for a “new deal” with Brussels during a speech to the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.
Burnham was expected to call for a “calm, clear-eyed look at what is best for Britain when it comes to dealing with Europe,” his office said in a statement ahead of the speech. He will say that the next UK-EU summit — expected to be held next month — would seek a “pragmatic approach” to expanding relations with the continent, including greater collaboration on tackling illegal migration.
While public opinion polls in Britain have shown increasing support for reversing Brexit, some in Labour worry that reopening the fraught, years-long debate over the vote could quickly consume the government’s agenda. Burnham, a remainer who took power in July, has said that he’s open to all options, including potentially rejoining the EU after the next election due by mid-2029.
His remarks about possible Russian involvement came in response to a question during an appearance on the Rest is Politics podcast, which was released on Sunday.
“I asked the question, coming into Downing Street, was there interference in the 2016 referendum from Russia, and I’ve had the clear answer that ‘Yes, there was,’” Burnham said. “These things are important now to put clearly on the record and, I believe, to help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia.
“We’ve been too much on the back foot, actually, and we haven’t informed people sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas,” he added.
However, Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, tried to clarify Burnham’s remarks.
“They’ve attempted to,” Doughty said. “They haven’t succeeded.”