London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

The mystery of the Russia report

No 10 is delaying publishing a report on alleged Russian interference in UK democracy, critics say.

A row has broken out over the publication of an intelligence report into Russian covert actions in the UK, with critics saying Downing Street is stalling on its release until after the election.

Chancellor Sajid Javid said the timescale for the publication of the report from Parliament's Intelligence Security Committee (ISC) was "perfectly normal".

But pressure is mounting on No 10 after the Sunday Times claimed nine Russian business people who have donated money to the Conservative Party were named in the document.

So what is in the Intelligence and Security Committee report?

The answer is that only a small circle of people know for sure and none of them are saying. But it is possible to get a sense of what might be in it.

We know the report looks at a wide range of Russian activity - ranging from traditional espionage to subversion - and not just in the UK.

But the greatest interest has been in what it might say on political interference in the UK. The Mueller inquiry in the US laid out a broad pattern of interference in the US 2016 presidential election, particularly using social media and leaking of documents.

So far, no evidence of a cyber campaign on the same scale has been produced in the UK. While it is possible there is evidence of attempts in the report, government ministers have already said there is no evidence of "successful" interference in elections, including the Brexit referendum (although defining what "successful" means is hard and may be disputable).

However, last week former deputy national security adviser Paddy McGuinness told the BBC not enough had been done to deal with vulnerabilities that the Russians and others could exploit. Mr McGuinness, who sat on the Oxford Technology and Elections Commission, said reforms were needed, including more transparency from political parties on how they collect and use data.

Tory donors

The ISC report is likely to focus more on broader aspects of Russian influence in politics and public life.

The committee took evidence from a number of independent experts and also from the secret intelligence agencies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

Some of those external experts are well known figures. Bill Browder is a former investor in Russia who became an arch-critic of the Kremlin and campaigns for sanctions on Russian individuals in the form of the Magnitsky Act (named after his former lawyer who died in jail in Moscow).

Another witness is understood to be Chris Steele, the former MI6 officer behind the famous dossier on US President Donald Trump. Another is journalist Edward Lucas.

These and other observers are understood to have been highly critical of the UK's openness to Russian influence - in particular the way in which Russian money had compromised first the financial system in London and then bled over into politics.

There have been questions about some donors to political parties and the Sunday Times suggests that nine who gave to the Conservative Party could be named in the report (although this may be more likely in a classified annex rather than the public report).

There may also have been evidence about specific relationships with Russians. For instance Boris Johnson as foreign secretary went to a party at an Italian villa hosted by Evgeny Lebedev, who runs the Evening Standard and whose father is a former KGB officer.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, Chancellor Sajid Javid said: "When it comes to party donors, whether it is to the Conservative Party or any other party, there are very strict rules that need to be followed and of course we will always follow those rules."

Asked whether he was sure no Russian money was pulling the strings in December's general election, he said: "I am as sure as I can be. I'm absolutely sure in terms of our own party and I am very confident about how we are funded and we are very transparent about that."

The BBC understands that witnesses have given evidence to the ISC that the UK government itself is partly to blame because it has not done enough to deter Russian subversion and interference - for instance in successive governments' weak response to events like the killing of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

The UK, it was argued, is uniquely placed to be able to push back precisely because of the amount of Russian money in London and the importance of the city to Russia's elite. The failure to push back and instead to protect the financial centre in London has been, it is argued, a choice - but one with consequences.

It is easier to know what evidence from well-known critics of the Kremlin will have been. What is harder to know is how much of this the committee accepted and included in the final report.

The committee will likely have given most weight to evidence produced by the intelligence agencies themselves. What they said is less clear but it is unlikely they will have wanted details of specific individuals included in the report and any names will probably have been redacted and blacked out.

The report has gone through the formal security clearance process and sources have told the BBC there was no objection from any other government agency or department to its publication.

That left the decision entirely with Downing Street. It has been adamant that a normal process needs to be followed which explains why it could not be released ahead of the election.

But critics have been unconvinced. They believe that the embarrassing details - perhaps of party funding - were something that the government did not want out ahead of the election.

Another source suggested it could also have been references to evidence of interference in the US which might have added to the concerns since Donald Trump is due to come to the UK for a Nato summit just days before the election.

One official told the BBC there were details of Russian interference in the report but they also thought the government could have rebutted many of the allegations.

They suggested these were not as explosive as some people thought and that Downing Street had made a mistake by not releasing the report since by failing to do so, the questions of what is in the report and why it has not been released will now dog them throughout the campaign.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×