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A group of MPs and colleagues from various parties, including a former national security adviser, is taking legal action against Boris Johnson over his government’s refusal to order an investigation into Russian interference in the UK elections.
The group filed a lawsuit in the high court in an attempt to force the prime minister to conduct an independent or public investigation. It is the first legal action of its kind for alleged national security failures.
The move follows the publication in July of the parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC) report on Russia. It found that the government and its intelligence services had not investigated the Kremlin’s meddling in the 2016 EU referendum vote, a “hot potato,” as the ISC put it.
The ISC urged Downing Street to conduct a full investigation and establish a legislative framework to prevent future interference from foreign states. Number 10 rejected the request. He argues that there is no evidence of a successful disruption by Moscow.
MPs are now seeking judicial review. They argue that the government’s inaction violates its obligation under article three, protocol one of the European convention on human rights. This requires truly free elections to be held.
The higher court lawsuit names Johnson as a defendant. He is backed by Lord Peter Ricketts, the government’s first national security adviser from 2010-12 under David Cameron, and former chairman of the joint intelligence committee (JIC).
In an eyewitness statement, Ricketts said he was “very surprised” that the government had not sought evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit vote, nor carried out “a post-referendum assessment of Russian attempts to influence the elections in the United Kingdom “.
He added: “Given the importance of knowing the extent of past Russian interference in assessing the risk of future elections, I do not understand why the government would choose not to investigate.”
Ricketts said there was a “considerable and growing body of evidence” that Moscow had actively interfered in other Western elections, including the 2016 US presidential elections and the 2017 French presidential elections. Ensuring the integrity of the British elections is an issue. key national security, he said.
Six peers and parliamentarians have joined the claim. Among them are Lib Dem Lord Strasburger, Baroness Wheatcroft, Ben Bradshaw and Chris Bryant from the Labor Party, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Alyn Smith, SNP foreign affairs spokesperson.
“The report from Russia raised a number of deeply troubling questions,” Smith said. “We do not know if the UK spy agencies were caught by Russian interference and did not take it seriously, or if the spies received tacit instructions. [by politicians] don’t look into this. “
Johnson declined to publish the report on Russia before last year’s general election. It found “credible evidence” that the UK was a target of “political influence operations” and “disinformation campaigns” carried out by agents of Vladimir Putin. The details were hidden in a classified annex.
Lord Strasburger described Lord Ricketts’ support for the action as “very significant”, emphasizing: “He was as high up in the intelligence community as possible and if he is concerned about the government’s refusal to investigate, we should all be.”
Baroness Wheatcroft, a former fellow Conservative, called the government’s failure in the investigation “shameful”. He said that “there is no question that the Internet has opened the way for possible widespread interference in the electoral process by evil forces and that Russia has tried to seize that opportunity.”
All the citizens, a non-profit organization, has joined the app. The government has 21 days to respond, with an unlikely hearing before spring.
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