Andy Burnham says Russia interfered in Brexit referendum but did not decide outcome

Nigel Farage called Burnham a 'liar'

Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, Burnham said that one of the first things he asked after becoming PM was whether there had been Russian interference in the vote.

He said: "I've had the clear answer that, yes, there was."

This claim caused pushback from the right, with Reform's Nigel Farage calling Burnham a "liar".

He said: "The prime minister is a liar, yes, a liar."

"There was no Russian interference - the Russian hoax has run all the way through this.

"This is out-of-touch, out-of-date Andy Burnham with all sorts of bizarre ideas."

Meanwhile, the Conservatives said he had been "at best...carelessly vague."

Conservative shadow minister Katie Lam said the prime minister "risks sowing doubt about the result of a professionally-run, independently-monitored democratic vote".

Speaking to journalists after his comments on the podcast, a spokesperson for the PM said: "Given everything we know about Russia, it is inconceivable they did not seek to use the referendum to their benefit.

Burnham has said Russia did interfere in the Brexit referendum. Image: Getty.

"But as the minister [Stephen Doughty] said this morning, we do not believe they have succeeded."

He added that Burnham "absolutely accepts the referendum result".

Burnham did find some allies though, with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey backing the PM.

He wrote on social media: "This statement needed to be said by a prime minister. After the Conservatives suppressed the truth for years, this took courage."

In his podcast interview, Burnham said there was "certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics".

He added: "I think we've been too much on the back foot on that actually and we haven't informed people sufficiently about the extent to which people are seeking to disrupt the political process from overseas."

Burnham did not give further details about how Russian may have tried to influence the Brexit referendum.