Intelligence Chief Acknowledges Interference Attempts
Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, stated on Tuesday that Russia did attempt to interfere in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He pointed to Russian-owned English-language broadcasters RT and Sputnik, which he said published biased anti-migration and anti-EU reports around the time of the vote. Additionally, he mentioned a second line of interference through internet trolls, involving fake social media accounts largely on X that sought to influence the outcome. McCallum made these remarks during his annual threat update.[S1]
The MI5 chief emphasized that neither tactic was particularly sophisticated or successful. He drew a clear distinction between what may have been attempted and what actually resulted, noting that the interference did not necessarily have any impact on the referendum outcome. His comments echoed previous studies, such as those by the digital campaign group 89up, which found that RT and Sputnik published 261 mostly misleading articles that achieved 134 million potential page impressions. Other research has described a troll army of state-linked Russian accounts, with estimates of active accounts ranging wildly from 54 to 150,000.[S1]
Political Reactions and Clarifications
The confirmation followed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's statement in a podcast that he had inquired about Russian meddling in the 2016 referendum and was told yes. Some Brexit supporters reacted angrily. The next day, under questioning from Conservatives in the Commons, Burnham was less absolute, rejecting any suggestion that he considered the referendum result invalid. Downing Street subsequently explained that the prime minister thought Russian attempts to influence the vote were highly likely, but did not believe they had succeeded.[S1][S2]
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart described McCallum's remarks as an extraordinary rebuke of the prime minister. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Burnham was lying and insisted there had been no Russian interference in the referendum. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that when he became foreign secretary in 2016, the security services had briefed him on the matter. McCallum also strongly backed the prime minister's view that a hack and leak occurred during the 2019 general election campaign.[S2]
Warning Against Amplifying Adversaries
McCallum warned that keeping the debate alive could play into Russia's hands. He argued that the UK decides how much it lets adversaries sow division, and worried that dwelling on the issue would make the Kremlin's disinformation seem more effective than it truly was. Russian trolls, who had achieved little over the years, would relish returning to front pages despite their unimpressive efforts, he said. He underlined the crucial distinction between attempted interference and a changed outcome, cautioning against inflating the trolls' stature.[S1][S2]
