UK Elections 2024: Deputy PM Dowden Makes Claims Of Russian Interference Ahead Of July 4 Polls

Speaking to Sky News, the British deputy PM alleged that Moscow has been using Facebook pages to spread support for Nigel Farage. Farage, is the leader of the hard-right Reform UK party.

Citing these Facebook pages, Dowden added that these tactics as a "classic example from the Russian playbook".

Dowden's remarks also come after a report from the Australian Broadcasting Cooperation which has been monitoring a few pro-Kremlin support pages on Facebook. Some of these pages were also putting out messages in support of Reform UK.

Speaking to Sky News, Dowden stated - "This is something that I've warned about for some time. There is a threat in all elections, and indeed we see it in this election, from hostile state actors seeking to influence the outcome of the election campaign."

Calling it a prime example of Russian interference, the deputy PM added that these was also a "low-level use of bots".

"Malign foreign actors, promoting British political parties, policies and views that fit their agenda is just another example of the challenges in the increasingly volatile cyberspace of the 21st century and is gravely concerning to see during an election campaign," the British leader told Sunday Times.

This is not the first time Russia has been accused of interfering in a general election. Canada has also placed similar charges against Moscow for allegedly interfering in its 2019 local elections and 2021 general elections

The UK will head to the polls on July 4 to vote for their new prime minister. Amongst the leading candidates are incumbent PM and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The polls will open at 7 AM local time and close at 10 PM. Britons will be voting for all 650 seats in the House of Commons. The winning party needs a total of 326 seats to decalre a majority.