49% of Brits believe Russia interfered in Brexit vote

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – A new poll found on Sunday that 49% of Brits believed Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum.

The poll was carried out by Opinium for The Observer newspaper, and came after the release of parliament’s Russia report, which found that the UK had “badly underestimated” the threat posed by Russia to the UK.

The poll asked Brits about Russian interference in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the 2016 Brexit referendum, and the 2019 UK general election. In all three elections, Brits were more likely than not to believe that Russia had interfered.

It found that 40% of Brits believed Russia interfered in the Scottish independence referendum, and 49% believed that it had interfered in the Brexit referendum.

Those who voted Remain were more likely to believe Russia interfered in the referendum than those who voted Leave, 63% and 39%, respectively.

Regarding the 2019 UK general election, 47% believed Russia had interfered: 70% of centrist Liberal Democrat voters, 62% of center-left Labour voters, and 39% of center-right Conservative voters.

Although Conservative voters were the least likely to believe Russia had interfered in the 2019 UK general election, they were still more likely than not to believe Russia had interfered, with 39% believing Russia had interfered and 33% believing they had not.

The poll also found that the ruling Conservatives’ lead over the main opposition Labour party had halved from 8 points to 4 points. The Conservatives are on 42%, down two points, and Labour on 38%, up two points.

Regarding the government’s overall approval rating over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, it dropped to -15, with disapproval increasing from 43% to 46%, and approval decreasing from 38% to 32%.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s overall approval rating dropped from -4 to -8, with 36% approving and 45% disapproving of his performance.