UK government was 'slow to react' on Russian threat

Interference with Brexit referendum was 'not properly considered'

THE UK government was slow to recognise the potential threat posed by Russia to British democratic processes and did not properly consider whether Moscow could interfere in the Brexit referendum until after the event, the Intelligence and Security Committee found.

A long-delayed report on Russia's activities concluded that the UK only belatedly realised the threat to political processes despite alarm bells ringing over the 2014 Scottish referendum.

The intelligence agencies and government departments treated the issue as a "hot potato" with no-one getting a grip on the problem, the committee said.

The government said there was "no evidence" of successful Russian interference in the Brexit vote but the committee which oversees the work of Britain's spies - suggested that there was no proper investigation.

MI5 provided just "six lines of text" when asked whether there was secret intelligence on the issue of potential Russian meddling in the referendum.

But the government - led by prominent Brexiteer Boris Johnson - has rejected the committee's call for a full analysis of whether Vladimir Putin's government did attempt to influence the result of the 2016 vote.

The report was drawn up by the ISC's members in the last parliament and its publication was delayed by Mr Johnson's decision to call a general election and the slow process of appointing a successor committee.

The committee said there was "credible open source commentary" indicating Russian influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, but it was only after the "hack and leak" operation in the Democratic National Committee in the US with the emails made public a month after the 2016 EU referendum - that the government "belatedly realised the level of threat which Russia could pose in this area".