ANALYSIS

THIS report will come as a crushing disappointment to the die-hard Remainers.

For months they have hyped its imminent publication, claiming the incendiary document would provide the ultimate proof of their conspiracy theory that the Kremlin rigged the 2016 vote for Brexit.

But the report did nothing of the sort. It did not even find a toy pistol, never mind a smoking gun.

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) found it “difficult – if not impossible – to assess” whether there was any meddling.

Yet that limp conclusion was always inevitable.

Brimming with arrogance and marinated in federalist ideology, the pro-EU brigade could not understand why they had lost the vote.

So they cooked up the notion of Vladimir Putin as the sinister manipulator.

Leave voters were portrayed as gullible idiots, brainwashed by Russian propaganda, while Eurosceptic campaigners were painted as the stooges of Moscow.

This fabricated story was cynically and ruthlessly used by the Remainers, not only to undermine the legitimacy of Brexit but also to justify calls for a second referendum.

Myth

But, as we can see from yesterday’s report, the Russia conspiracy is a myth. The British people were not indoctrinated, nor was the ballot box defrauded.

Tellingly, the ISC, despite two years of investigation under the chairmanship of arch Remainer Dominic Grieve, was unable even to spell out the nature of the supposed threat to British democracy.

Instead there was unconvincing waffle about cyberbots, Russian television and social media.

Equally absurd is the idea of collusion between the Tory Government, the Brexit lobby and the intelligence services to cover up the extent of Russia involvement.

Ministers did not investigate for the simple reason there was no evidence of a plot.

The real foreign force behind Leave was not Russia but the European Union, which alienated millions of voters with its determination to crush British sovereignty and democracy.

Pro-EU fanatics have spent years smearing their opponents and demeaning Leave voters. Even now they are calling for yet another probe of the Brexit vote.

Just like their blind worship of Brussels, their Russia obsession is an insult to the electorate and democracy.

Yesterday’s report should be the cue for them to quit.