UnitedKingdom

Caroline Wheeler, Tim Shipman and John Boothman

Russian interference may have influenced crucial referendums in the UK on both Scottish independence and EU membership, according to a long-awaited report on the threats posed by the Kremlin to UK democracy.

The Russia report by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is expected to raise concerns about Moscow’s interference in aspects of Scottish politics, including the long-running campaign for independence.

The development comes just days after Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, revealed that Russian “actors” were highly likely to have interfered in December’s general election.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the ISC’s report on Tuesday, the SNP foreign affairs spokesman, Alyn Smith, said: “There’s not a doubt in my mind that there are bad actors active in the Scottish debate, especially online.”

Just before the Brexit referendum in 2016, Sputnik, a Russian state-funded news outlet, set up its operation in Edinburgh broadcasting live radio programmes across the UK. It was described at the time by one MSP as a “Kremlin stooge”. The following year the former first minister Alex Salmond launched his own weekly television programme alongside his SNP colleague former MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on the state sponsored RT (Russia Today) channel.

The report, which is being published more than a year after it was completed in March 2019, is also expected to find that Russian interference may have affected the Brexit referendum in June 2016, but the effect was “unquantifiable”.

Last week Julian Lewis lost the Conservative Party whip after beating loyalist Chris Grayling to become chair of the committee, which oversees the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

The report, which follows an 18-month inquiry, is also expected to raise the issue of political donations by rich Russians as a matter of concern.

The revelation comes as it can be revealed that Tory MP Mark Pritchard, who now sits on the ISC, received a donation from a company partly run by a Russian businessman Alexander Temerko.

According to the register of members’ financial interests, Pritchard accepted a £5,000 donation from Aquind, which is behind plans for a £1.2 billion electricity cable under the Channel, in June last year.

Temerko, who worked for the Kremlin’s defence ministry, is among the party’s Russian donors who are personally close to the prime minister. He has spoken warmly about his “friend” Boris Johnson and has given the Conservatives more than £1.3m.

It emerged this month that one of the individuals behind Aquind had been granted anonymity by Companies House. The names of persons with significant control of such a company would normally be published under anti-corruption rules.

However, the mystery backer applied to have their name kept secret under an exemption that applies to people who could be at risk of “serious violence or intimidation” should their name be published.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “All donations to the Conservative Party and its MPs are received in good faith, after appropriate due diligence, from permissible sources. Donations are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission and parliament, and comply fully with the law.”