More than 70,000 people have signed a petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on British politics and democracy.
The petition states: “We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaigns in the UK.
“We believe recent events underscore the urgency of this issue.”
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At the time of writing, the petition had racked up just under 72,000 signatures.
Having breached the 10,000 signature mark, the government will need to issue a response to the petition. Should it reach 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in parliament.
The petition was set up following Nathan Gill’s conviction and sentencing for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while a Member of the European Parliament for UKIP and later the Brexit Party.
Interestingly, some have noticed on social media that the highest concentration of signatures on the petition is in Wales, where Gill was the leader of Reform UK.
Gill was sentenced to ten-and-a-half years in prison and there is now pressure on Reform leader Nigel Farage over whether any Russian links or influence remain in his party.
Farage was an associate of Gill’s, having been the UKIP and Brexit Party leader when Gill was an MEP for both parties.
Since Gill’s sentencing, Farage has been urged to launch an independent investigation into his party. A number of Labour voices have called for this, including prime minister Keir Starmer.