A campaign to lift restrictions on publishing the Russia report has been launched as Parliament’s petition website re-opens.
The official appeals site was back online this week after being closed for the general election.
Petitions that gain 10,000 signatures will receive a government response, while those with 100,000 names will be considered for a debate in Parliament.
Russia report
A campaign to publish the Russia report into interference in the referendum on the UK’s membership in the EU was published swiftly after the site went live.
It notes that the timing of the suppression of the Russia report in November 2019 was “far too convenient” for the present government which won an increased majority in the elections in December 2019.
Given the Prime Minister had already cleared it for publication, questions are being asked as to why it has yet to see the light of day, the petition authors said, adding:
“The continuing suppression of the report is doing nothing to raise the confidence of the British people in the integrity of the electoral process.”
Validity of referendum result
A senior Whitehall source revealed that the cross-party report into illicit Russian activities in Britain could have been suppressed because it raises questions over the validity of the referendum result.
The inquiry, which heard evidence from MI5, MI6 & GCHQ, “could not rule out” that Kremlin-sanctioned disinformation campaigns influenced the landmark vote in 2016, it has been reported.
The committee sent its report to Johnson for review on October 17, saying it expected to “publish the report imminently”, but it has yet to have been released for public consumption.
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