Should there be a public inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the Brexit referendum?
No public inquiry has ever looked at Russian interference in the 2016 EU referendum. The government's January 2026 reply to a petition for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics pointed instead to the Rycroft independent review of foreign financial interference, which reported in spring 2026. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has now said he was given a 'clear answer' after entering No 10 that Russia did interfere in the vote. That is the first such confirmation from a UK leader since Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that the government had never properly assessed the threat, and since former Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill was jailed in 2025 for taking pro-Russian bribes.
11 Opinions
No. If we concede that Russian bots can change people's minds. Then we concede people should not have the vote to begin with because they're unable to think for themselves. It's just another way to call voters thick. Edited
No. Any interference was only effective because of the division and disconnection of our society, at the time of the Referendum. Let's focus on fixing that!
What on earth is the actual deliverable here? We already know Moscow targets our politics... Nathan Gill was jailed for Russian bribes just last year. An inquiry won't reverse Brexit, and Brussels isn't giving our rebates back because of Russian troll farms. A judge-led circus will spend four years and tens of millions redacting MI6 memos and relitigating 2016's Leave vs Remain for zero practical gain because none of it will fix a single problem we are facing in 2026.
Dear god no, why do we need these money pits every time something vaguely goes wrong, nothing ever comes out of them
I say YES … but the result should only be published if it would NOT affect the original vote … 🫣
No, why only Russian? At the end voters decided and unless there's evidence for Russian fraud, I do not see the reason to. All countries that were interested in this interfered including our allies. BDW I would like to see the evidence for such claim.
We should *definitely* be made aware of deliberate attempts by foreign organisations to influence our elections, so I support this, subject to two conditions: 1. No country or issue should be off-limits. Qatar, China and Iran should be as scrutinised alongside Russia. Nor should the scope of scrutiny into electoral interference be limited to the Brexit vote. 2. No sidelining/overshadowing of other existing/ongoing enquiries. Can't be a conveniently-timed distraction.
No. If you have to spend money - find out what foreign interference is happening in the present. And do something about it.
There should be a proper investigation and announcement of results, but public enquiries are slow and costly.
Yes, it should be looked into and prevented from happening again. Enough with allowing other countries to meddle via propaganda and bribes.