Ex-MI6 spy claims Russia’s role in UK far-right riots, officials to investigate

Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia bureau, has argued that recent far-right riots in the UK provide “clear” evidence of Russian involvement. Steele, who is known for his dossier on Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, said the security agencies would be looking closely at the role of online instigators in the recent unrest.

In the past fortnight, violent riots broke out in Southport and Rotherham after false claims that a Muslim migrant was responsible for an attack on a children’s dance class. The disinformation was spread by far-right activists online, with Steele suggesting the misinformation came from a website linked to Russia.

The website, Channel3 Now, impersonated mainstream US news channels and spread false claims that the Southport attacker was on MI6’s watch list. This false narrative was reinforced by prominent far-right figures, including Tommy Robinson and possibly Nigel Farage, who also disputed the government’s account of the attack.

Steele stressed that security agencies are scrutinizing the movements, communications and financial transactions of these instigators to determine the extent of Russian interference. He noted that such research is crucial to understanding how state actors might influence domestic unrest.

The UK Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that ministers are looking into the involvement of state actors in the riots. They acknowledged that misinformation on the Internet, possibly fueled by state-sponsored activities, contributed to the unrest. The National Crime Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are currently investigating the matter.

After the riots, there were calls for a review of the Internet Safety Act, which empowers social media companies to clamp down on harmful content. London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized the law as inadequate, stressing the need for stronger measures to tackle online disinformation.