RUSSIAN hackers "almost certainly" tried to interfere with the UK General election in December, the Foreign Secretary has confirmed.
Leaks of illegally-acquired documents on a US-UK trade deal were posted online in the run-up to the 2019 poll.
Dominic Raab has now confirmed 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."
It comes after the Westminster Intelligence and Security Committee today vowed to publish the full report into Russian interference in the election within a week.
Claims the Government's announcement today is an attempt to deflect from the contents of the full report have been dismissed as "nonsense" by the Prime Minister's spokesman.
The documents, leaked from the Department for International Trade, were used by Jeremy Corbyn throughout the general election campaign as an attempt to show the Tories were offerning up the NHS to Donald Trump.
In a written statement today, Dominic Raab wrote: "During the 2019 General Election a cross-Government election security cell was stood up to coordinate responses to threats and hazards relating to the election.
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.
"Whilst there is no evidence of a broad spectrum Russian campaign against the General Election, any attempt to interfere in our democratic processes is completely unacceptable. It is, and will always be, an absolute priority to protect our democracy and elections."
He added that there was a criminal probe ongoing into the "illicit acquisition" of the documents, and so " it would be inappropriate for us to say anything further at this point."
He continued: "The Government reserves the right to respond with appropriate measures in the future.
"The UK will continue to call out and respond to malign activity, including any attempts to interfere in our democratic processes, alongside our international partners.
"We fully support the recent action taken by our German partners who exposed Russian responsibility for the hack of their Parliament in 2015 as well as their intention to act against those responsible under the cyber sanctions regime.
"The UK Government laid the statutory instrument for our own cyber sanctions regime on 17 June."
The Labour party said it condemnded any Russian interference with UK politics.
A spokesman said: " We condemn any attempt by Russia to interfere in our country’s democratic processes.
"Labour stands ready to work cross-party to protect our nation’s security.
"That includes in our response to publication of the long awaited report by the ISC on the Russian threat to the UK”
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