Andy Burnham has said he received confirmation that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum after asking about Moscow’s involvement upon entering Downing Street.

His statement differs from previous Conservative governments’ position that there was no evidence Russia had successfully influenced the referendum, although Burnham did not disclose the evidence behind the assessment or whether it affected the result.

A 2020 parliamentary intelligence committee report criticized the government for failing to properly investigate possible Russian interference, including efforts to influence British politics through state-backed media and social media accounts.

Burnham warned that Britain and other European countries must be more open about foreign interference, citing concerns about Russian misinformation in Germany and alleged links between Moscow and the far-right Alternative for Germany party, The Guardian reported.

The UK is developing a National Centre for Information Defence to counter hostile information campaigns, while Britain and Germany are working together to address hybrid threats targeting their security and democratic institutions.