Andy Burnham's foreign minister contradicts Prime Minister on Brexit and admits Russia was 'unsuccessful' in influencing Leave vote

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Oct 12, 2026 - 10:12

Andy Burnham's foreign minister contradicts Prime Minister on Brexit and admits Russia was 'unsuccessful' in influencing Leave vote

Andy Burnham has been contradicted by his own foreign minister after the Prime Minister claimed Russia had influenced the Brexit referendum.

The Labour leader told the Rest Is Politics podcast Russia "clearly" meddled in the 2016 vote, as he indicated an interest in pushing to rejoin the European Union, or at least build closer ties.

He said as he entered No10 in the summer, he asked if Moscow had interfered in the 2016 vote on whether to leave the EU and was given "the clear answer that yes there was".

However, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty this morning told LBC: “We know what the result was. I don’t think they’ve succeeded in their efforts.

“I don’t think they’ve succeeded in their efforts to undermine our elections.”

He added: “The security minister’s been very clear that they’ve attempted but not succeeded, in his evidence that he gave previously on this.

“But the fact is that they are attempting to interfere, and we all need to be alert to that and respond accordingly.”