Guido’s Whitehall moles report that Burnham’s Russia and Brexit tangle has drawn raised eyebrows among security-minded Civil Servants. Who would’ve thought…
A senior government source says the podcast-based blunder is “seen as another No10 own goal” and there is “much rolling of eyes among the security folks today.” At one meeting a senior civil servant with a national security brief mocked Burnham’s remarks, asking whether “he really thinks 17.4 million people woke up and were persuaded to vote Brexit by Putin,” before bemoaning: “Did he not ask an expert?” Securocrat civil servants are not happy with the PM…
Russia obviously tries to influence most democratic events in the Western world in one way or another and the view in Whitehall is that the threat from so-called ‘information confrontation’ and disruption is substantial. Relitigating Brexit by the back door, though, is not best practice…
In the Commons Burnham U-turned and claimed he never said the result was influenced: “I didn’t say that. I haven’t at any point said it altered the result.” Nonsensical…
Burnham spinning like a wheel in the Commons:
“I will very much say so on the record… It was legitimate. I have always respected the result. I have never questioned its legitimacy. But I am within my rights to point out where foreign actors are looking to interfere in British democracy.”