Russian interference in UK general election will likely ramp up dramatically, warns senior US senator

Russian interference in the UK general election will likely “ramp up dramatically” over the next fortnight, the chair of the United States senate intelligence committee has warned.

Washington has witnessed “egregious efforts” by Moscow to interfere in the democratic process across the globe, similar to those alleged in the 2016 US presidential election, said Mark Warner.

The senior senator, who is regularly briefed on secret US intelligence, said he had been closely monitoring the situation in the UK, adding: “I think the next big test of the state of play will be the British elections in a few weeks.”

While US intelligence services are yet to see much activity indicating Russian interference in the ballot due on 4 July, Mr Warner said on Tuesday: “The chances are, as we saw in the past, this activity ramps up dramatically the closer it gets to the election.”

Speaking at a Christian Science Monitor event, the Virginia Democrat was reported as saying: “Clearly, Russia does not like the fact that the UK has been as stalwart as they have been in terms of defence on Ukraine.”

He added: “It clearly meets [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s plans if he can lessen the British or the Americans’ resolve for supporting Ukraine – he can save some money on his tanks, guns, ships, and planes if he can diminish support.”

The warning comes a month after Westminster’s national security committee urged that Britain “must be prepared for the possibility of foreign interference” in the upcoming general election

In a letter to Rishi Sunak, committee chair Dame Margaret Beckett said the UK had experienced a “pattern of attempted foreign interference from countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea” in recent years.

The UK