Dave Hellyer

Andy Burnham says that, after becoming Prime Minister, he asked officials whether Russia interfered in the 2016 EU referendum. He claims they told him “yes” — and that Russia did so by spreading mis- and disinformation on social media. But Mr Burnham is not the first politician to make this claim. In 2017, then Prime Minister Theresa May said Russian misinformation was distorting Britain’s democratic process and had to be tackled. So what is the evidence? This morning, one of Mr Burnham’s junior Foreign Office ministers pushed back, saying there is no evidence that Russian efforts to sway the referendum succeeded. In his briefing for the FSU, Misinformation about Misinformation, David Rose examines how politicians have repeatedly exaggerated the threat of misinformation — and used it to justify greater internet censorship. A study by the Oxford Internet Institute examined nearly six million social media posts about the referendum. It found that only a minuscule proportion could be traced to Russia. The study described the impact as “tiny”. Watch FSU Policy and Research Director @DavidRoseUK discuss the briefing, and read it below 👇