Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of whether foreign nationals attempted to interfere in the (a) 2016 EU referendum and (b) 2017 General Election.

I will not comment on operational or intelligence matters, however I can assure you that there has been no successful interference in any UK electoral process to date.

Our system of paper balloting and hand counting means UK voting mechanisms do not lend themselves to direct electronic manipulation. A series of protective measures were put in place ahead of the 2015 General Election, designed to be sufficiently enduring to mitigate future threats, including the EU referendum and future polls.

The NCSC continues to offer political parties access to the best cyber security guidance and support. The NCSC sent refreshed cyber security guidance to the range of bodies involved in the 2017 General Election.