UK politics news: Government 'did not want to know' about evidence of Russian interference in Brexit vote as long-awaited report released
Follow all the latest updates
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has judged it “credible” that Russia tried to interfere in the Scottish independence referendum as part of an effort to influence political life in the UK.
MPs setting out the Russia report have told Boris Johnson to order an assessment of “potential” Russian meddling in the Brexit referendum. The government “did not want to know” if there been interference in the 2016 vote – and had “actively avoided looking for evidence”, they said.
However the government quickly rejected the call for further enquiries, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab describing a retrospective investigation as “unnecessary”.
‘No evidence’ of inference in 2016 EU referendum?
So what will be in the Russia report when the Intelligence and Security Committee lay out the details at a “virtual press event” at 10.30am?
The ISC has found that Russia attempted to influence the Scottish independence referendum but not the Brexit vote, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper said the report by MPs and peers described the Kremlin’s role in the vote as “the first post-Soviet interference in a Western democratic election” – and said there was “credible open-source commentary that Russia undertook to influence the campaign on Scottish independence”
But after an 18-month investigation, the ISC found no evidence to suggest Russia played any part in the Brexit referendum, according to the leaked details.
We’ll have to wait and see what the report actually says on the 2016 EU vote, but Nigel Farage is already claiming “serious apologies are due” before the 50-page report is even released.
No attempt to silence chief nursing officer, says minister
Policing minister Kit Malthouse denied that chief nursing officer Ruth May had been silenced by No 10 after she told MPs on Monday she had been “dropped”.
The Independent first reported back in June that she had been dropped after criticising Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham (saying lockdown rules should apply to all).
Malthouse told the BBC on Tuesday morning: “The prime minister and ministers are responsible for the decisions that have been taken and the science is meant to inform their decisions.
“Who or who doesn’t appear at a podium at a particular press conference seems to me less relevant than this hard-working and dedicated public servant can speak when she wishes and she has done, obviously, before and since. I don’t think there’s any intention to restrict that.”
All the details on the row here:
Pompeo set to meet Tory rebels – and Keir Starmer
A busy day in London lies ahead for US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. He is expected to meet Iain Duncan Smith and other anti-Huawei Tory rebels at a private event organised by the right-wing think tank The Henry Jackson Society.
The Trump official will then head over to Downing Street for talks with Boris Johnson and foreign secretary Dominic Raab, before a press conference at 3pm.
Labour officials told Politico that Pompeo will also meet with Keir Starmer later this afternoon, but it isn’t on the secretary of state’s official schedule yet.
Mike Pompeo arriving in the UK (Reuters)
Public sector pay rise not enough, says Labour
The above-inflation pay rise announced earlier today will see almost 900,000 workers benefit, with teachers and doctors seeing the largest increase at 3.1 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively, according to the Treasury.
Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds tweeted: “The Tories froze public sector pay for seven long years. A pay rise now won’t make up for a decade of real terms pay cuts for many frontline workers.
“Others won’t get a penny more as Tory promises to maintain local authority funding haven’t materialised. That's not good enough.”
Will the Russia report ‘follow the money’?
Russia is operating in the UK through “oligarchs” who “spend their money on highly placed people”, according to British investment firm boss Bill Browder.
Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital, who gave evidence for the report, told the BBC said these figures “would basically do intelligence and influence work”.
How far will the report delve into the influence of Russian money in British politics? Although this morning’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) 50-page document is expected to cover political donations from wealthy Russians, reports suggest it won’t actually name any names.
Scrap ‘golden visas’ says Labour MP
Ahead of the Russia report’s release Labour MP Chirs Byrant has called for “golden visas” for wealthy Russians to be scrapped.
The chairman of the Commons committee on standards said recent history showed the UK should “always” treat the country with caution.
Russia report released – and finds it ‘difficult to assess’ whether there was interference in 2016 Brexit vote
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has released the report in full on its website.
On the EU referendum of 2016 it states: “There have been widespread public allegations that Russia sought to influence the 2016 referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. The impact of any such attempts would be difficult – if not impossible – to assess, and we have not sought to do so. However, it is important to establish whether a hostile state took deliberate action with the aim of influencing a UK democratic process, irrespective of whether it was successful or not.”
On the Scottish referendum of 2014 it states: “There has been credible open source commentary suggesting that Russia undertook influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.”
‘Russian influence in the UK is the new normal’
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has released its conclusions:
“Successive governments have welcomed the oligarchs and their money with open arms, providing them with a means of recycling illicit finance through the London ‘laundromat’, and connections at the highest levels with access to UK companies and political figures.
“This has led to a growth industry of ‘enablers’ including lawyers, accountants, and estate agents who are – wittingly or unwittingly – de facto agents of the Russian state.
“It clearly demonstrates the inherent tension between the Government’s prosperity agenda and the need to protect national security. While we cannot now shut the stable door, greater powers and transparency are needed urgently.
“UK is clearly a target for Russian disinformation. While the mechanics of our paper-based voting system are largely sound, we cannot be complacent about a hostile state taking deliberate action with the aim of influencing our democratic processes.
“Yet the defence of those democratic processes has appeared something of a ‘hot potato’, with no one organisation considering itself to be in the lead, or apparently willing to conduct an assessment of such interference. This must change.
“Social media companies must take action and remove covert hostile state material: government must ‘name and shame’ those who fail to act.”
‘Potential’ Russian interference in Brexit must be investigated, PM told
MPs on the Intelligence and Security Committee have told Boris Johnson to order an assessment of “potential” Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Criticising the government for avoiding attempts to investigate any efforts to influence in the outcome, the committee said the government “did not want to know” if there been interference – and had “actively avoided looking for evidence that Russia interfered”.
“We were told they hadn’t seen any evidence but that is meaningless if they hadn’t looked for it,” they concluded.
They added: “It is nonetheless the committee’s view that the UK intelligence community should produce an analogous assessment of potential Russian interference in the EU referendum and that an unclassified summary of it be published.”
Government has clearly ‘underestimated’ Russia, says Labour
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has said it was “extraordinary” that the prime minister took the political decision last October ahead of the general election to “block” the publication of the report.
She tweeted: “The report is very clear that the government has underestimated the response required to Russia and it is imperative we learn the lessons from the mistakes that have been made. The Labour Party calls on the government to study the conclusions of the report carefully and take the necessary steps to keep our country safe.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments