MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum has warned against fuelling Russian propaganda efforts after Prime Minister Andy Burnham revealed Moscow's attempts to interfere in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Sir Ken said Russian President Vladimir Putin's online trolls will be "delighted" if the furore caused by the Prime Minister's comments continues. The spymaster confirmed Russia had sought to influence the vote but dismissed the "comparative unimpressiveness" of the efforts.
Call to avoid playing into adversaries' hands
Speaking at MI5's Thames House headquarters, Sir Ken said the UK should not "play into our adversaries' hands" by amplifying the impact of Russian trolls. He stressed the importance of distinguishing between attempted interference and actual influence on outcomes.
Sir Ken noted it is "openly on the record" that Russian media organisations such as Russia Today and Sputnik came in "pretty strongly" around the referendum, and that there was "a certain amount of interference attempted through trolls and bots and so forth."
Prime Minister's comments on Russian interference
Mr Burnham told MPs on Monday that Russia had sought to intervene in the 2019 general election, adding "we think it is inconceivable that this was the first time." He had previously told The Rest Is Politics podcast that he was informed on entering Downing Street that it was "clear" Moscow had sought to interfere in the referendum.
His comments were viewed by opponents as an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the referendum, something the Prime Minister strenuously denied.
Concern over ongoing debate
Sir Ken agreed with the Prime Minister's remarks about a hack and leak incident during the 2019 general election campaign. However, he expressed concern about the ongoing debate, saying: "It is kind of up to us how far we allow our various adversaries to divide us."
He added: "I am a little bit anxious that we don't play into our adversaries' hands by making these trolls look 10ft tall."
