The UK parliamentarians' report on Russia's alleged interference in the internal political processes in the United Kingdom has proven to be a mild embarrassment for Downing Street, as it exposed a lack of a credible security system against foreign interference, the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-profit think tank promoting bilateral ties between Moscow and London, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) The UK parliamentarians' report on Russia's alleged interference in the internal political processes in the United Kingdom has proven to be a mild embarrassment for Downing Street, as it exposed a lack of a credible security system against foreign interference, the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-profit think tank promoting bilateral ties between Moscow and London, told Sputnik.
Last week, the UK Parliament's Intelligence Committee published a report on Russia's alleged interference in UK politics, accusing Moscow of attempts to undermine the world order via participation in international organizations. According to the document, UK parliamentarians believe that the statements about Russia's interference in the 2014 referendum on the independence of Scotland are credible, but they have no evidence. Russia has denied making any attempts to interfere in any foreign political processes and highlighted that the report lacked evidence and specific facts.
"It is mildly embarrassing for the government because it looks like they have taken the eye off the ball a little and there wasn't much appetite to investigate anything because there was not anything to investigate ... It is getting a bit silly now and it is turning into the Mueller report. Frankly, there was nothing to see here. If there was any evidence at all, if you have seven or eight intelligence agencies, criminal investigation bodies researching it and investigating it, they would have found something. None of them have found anything," Nicholas Cobb, the chairman of Westminster Russia Forum, said.
Even though no evidence has apparently been found in support of the allegations against Moscow, the anti-Russia rhetoric will continue to be maintained by some UK politicians and media outlets, according to the think tank.
"This whole narrative on Russia is really quite childish. It is almost like our politicians seem to be doing a good enough job ruining things themselves, we don't need Russia's interference," Cobb underlined.
The UK government has likely shelved the report and released it this month instead of December in order to not embarrass itself during the general elections, which were held at the end of 2019, the think tank chairman noted.
