MI5 Chief Warns Brexit Interference Debate Risks Empowering Russia
Director General Sir Ken McCallum cautions against overstating the impact of Russian trolls, stating it plays into adversaries' hands.
The head of MI5 has cautioned that the ongoing debate surrounding Russian interference in the Brexit referendum risks inadvertently empowering the Kremlin.
Sir Ken McCallum commented on the matter after Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated in a podcast that he was informed upon arriving at Downing Street that Vladimir Putin had interfered in the 2016 vote. This assertion sparked controversy, with political opponents accusing Burnham of dishonesty, and he eventually conceded the legitimacy of the referendum result.
Speaking at MI5's Thames House headquarters, Sir Ken confirmed that Russian media and trolls had attempted to influence the vote. He referenced public records, including select committee reports from 2019, which noted the strong involvement of "Russia Today and Sputnik and other Russian media organisations" around the time of the referendum. He also stated it is a matter of open-source record that a secondary line of interference was attempted through trolls.
"I agree strongly with what the Prime Minister said yesterday," Sir Ken said, referring to statements made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
However, Sir Ken expressed concern about the prolonged debate, stating, "It is kind of up to us how far we allow our adversaries to divide us." He added, "I’m a little bit worried that if we all stay in this debate for another few days, the Russian trolls who didn’t appear to do all that much at various points over the years, they’ll be delighted they are front page news once again despite the comparative unimpressedness of what they do at all points along the journey."
He concluded, "I’m a little bit interested that we don’t play into our adversaries’ hands by making these trolls look 10 feet tall. That is not our experience."
Burnham's initial claim had led to accusations of 'lies' from political opponents, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. In a subsequent retreat, Burnham admitted he possessed no evidence that the Kremlin had successfully influenced the 2016 vote's outcome. Despite this, the Prime Minister vowed to continue pursuing a closer relationship with Brussels.
In Parliament, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch had questioned Burnham's claims, asking him to "publish the evidence that Russia swung the result of the 2016 referendum." She recalled that in 2018, the then-head of MI5 stated there was no evidence of Russian influence on the referendum result. Burnham maintained he had not implied the result was illegitimate, while conceding the lack of evidence for the Kremlin's successful influence.