The Russian connectionRussia may have rigged Brexit vote – and U.K.’s 8 June general election could be next: Experts
A report handed to the British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Select Committee suggests that Russian secret funds and disinformation campaign may have swayed the EU referendum vote in favor of Brexit. Ahead of the 8 June parliamentary election, GCHQ [Government Communications Headquarters – the U.K. equivalent of the U.S. NSA] has warned leaders of Britain’s political parties of the threat Russian government hacking was posing to British democracy – while Russian interference with Brexit is also on the radar of the Electoral Commission, which is worried about the transparency of money donated to political parties and campaigns.
The interference by Russia in the presidential elections in the United States and France, and Russia’s growing involvement in the run-up to the September elections in Germany – in all cases, in support of populist, far-right politicians who want to distance their countries from the EU and NATO and adopt pro-Russia policies – may have been preceded by the interference by Russian government hackers and disinformation specialists in support of the Brexit campaign in the United Kingdom.
This is what Ben Bradshaw, seeking re-election as Labor MP for Exeter, says in a report he has helped write on the Russian interference with the EU referendum. He submitted his report to the Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Select Committee.
The Daily Star reports that Bradshaw, aculture secretary in the government of Gordon Brown, said that the material he has gathered should lead the U.K. intelligence community, especially MI6, to look closely at the sources of funding of the pro-Brexit “Leave” campaign.
Bradshaw, in remarks at the House of Commons, said it was “highly probable” Russian hackers influenced the outcome of the EU poll.
He told MPs to “wake up” to Russian cyberwarfare and suggested the Kremlin influenced Brexit in the same way it helped sway the U.S. election for Donald Trump.
Anthony Glees, professor of politics at Buckinghamshire University and an authority on intelligence and espionage (among his books: The Open Side of Secrecy: Britain’s Intelligence and Security Committee; Spinning the Spies: Intelligence, Open Government and the Hutton Inquiry: Intelligence, Open Government; and The secrets of the service: A story of Soviet subversion of Western intelligence) assisted Bradshaw in gathering the materials and putting the report together.
He told Daily Star Online that the materials suggest that offshore bank accounts were used to funnel foreign money into Brexit campaigns.
Glees said the foreign funds were used to influence voters by spreading anti-EU propaganda across social media platforms, media channels, and advertising platforms.
There are rules against undeclared donations from foreign entities.
British laws allow foreign donations in domestic campaigns, but such donations from foreign entities must be declared.
Glees said: “A well-functioning, open, transparent, democratic process lies at the heart of our national being.
“Therefore, any fiddling about with our democracy, through rigging election is actually a question of national security.
“The suggestion that our electoral system can be influenced is something that we should take very seriously.”
