Russians ‘almost certainly’ tried to interfere in general election, says Raab

Leaked government documents highlighted by Jeremy Corbyn during last year’s general election were almost certainly “amplified” online by “Russian actors”, the Government has said.

The papers relating to UK and US trade talks were used by the then Labour leader to back his claims that the Conservatives were preparing to “sell off” the NHS.

In a written Commons statement, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “On the basis of extensive analysis, the Government has concluded that it is almost certain that Russian actors sought to interfere in the 2019 general election through the online amplification of illicitly acquired and leaked Government documents.

“Sensitive Government documents relating to the UK-US free trade agreement were illicitly acquired before the 2019 general election and disseminated online via the social media platform Reddit.

“When these gained no traction, further attempts were made to promote the illicitly acquired material online in the run-up to the general election.”