UK PMQs LIVE Updates: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced a series of tough questions from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and other opposition politicians during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The session covered allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, immigration and national security concerns, the government’s energy policy, welfare reforms and Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
The Russia-Brexit controversy became a major point of confrontation after Burnham’s recent comments on The Rest Is Politics podcast. Badenoch challenged the prime minister over his remarks, while Burnham maintained that the government must call out attempts by hostile foreign actors to interfere in democratic processes.
The Commons session also featured questions about Iran-related security concerns, small boat crossings across the English Channel, North Sea oil and gas projects, and the government’s approach to supporting Ukraine amid tensions involving US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Burnham was also questioned over the Green Party’s position on Zionism and the possibility of political cooperation.
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UK PMQs LIVE Updates Today: Kemi Badenoch Challenges Andy Burnham Over Russia’s Brexit Interference Claims
One of the main exchanges during Wednesday’s PMQs centred on Burnham’s comments about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
During an appearance on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Burnham said he had received a clear answer about Russian interference when he raised the issue after entering Downing Street. His subsequent remarks prompted clarification from the government.
According to the explanation cited in the parliamentary coverage, the prime minister considered it highly likely that Russia had attempted to influence the referendum but did not believe those efforts had succeeded in changing the outcome.
Badenoch used the issue to challenge Burnham’s handling of the controversy, asking whether he ever tired of putting his foot in his mouth.
Responding in the Commons, Burnham said the government needed to call out hostile actors who had sought to interfere in democratic processes.
The exchange highlighted an important distinction in the debate: evidence of attempted foreign interference does not, by itself, establish that the interference changed the result of a referendum.
MI5 Chief’s Comments on Russian Interference Add to Brexit Debate
The controversy followed comments by MI5 Director General Ken McCallum in his annual security update. The intelligence chief distinguished between attempts to interfere in democratic processes and evidence that those attempts had achieved their intended outcome.
The distinction became central to the political argument between Burnham and Badenoch.
The debate concerns Russia’s alleged efforts to influence the 2016 referendum, which resulted in a vote to leave the European Union. However, the claim that interference was attempted must be distinguished from the separate question of whether it changed the referendum result. Burnham’s comments have also attracted attention because his government is seeking closer cooperation with the EU while maintaining Labour’s stated commitments not to rejoin the single market or customs union, or restore freedom of movement, before the next general election.
UK PMQs LIVE: Nigel Farage Raises Iran Security Concerns and Channel Crossings
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage raised immigration and national security during the Commons session, arguing that the government should treat developments involving small boat crossings in the English Channel as a national security emergency.
Farage also claimed that young men from Iran were arriving in the UK regularly and that some posed a security threat. These were political claims raised during PMQs and should not be treated as evidence that Iranian arrivals generally pose a threat.
Before responding to the substance of the question, Burnham referred to threats against Farage’s personal safety. He said that, despite their political disagreements, he supported Farage’s right to express his views and would work to protect him and other politicians.
Addressing the broader security concerns, Burnham referred to incidents involving RAF Fairford and said the police and security services had dealt with them.
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