LONDON: The leak of classified UK-US trade documents online, tied to a previous Russian disinformation campaign, has all the hallmarks of an attempt to interfere in Britain's upcoming election, a British minister said on Saturday (Dec 7).
The opposition Labour Party says the leaked documents show the ruling Conservatives are plotting to offer the state-run National Health Service (NHS) for sale in post-Brexit trade talks with Washington.
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The NHS, much loved by Britons, has become a major issue in campaigning for the Dec 12 election, polls ahead of which show Labour trailing the Conservatives.
On Friday, social media site Reddit said it believed the documents had been leaked by a campaign that originated in Russia, fuelling fears that Moscow was seeking to interfere in Britain's election.
"I understand from what was being put on that website that those who seem to know about these things say it seems to have all the hallmarks of some form of interference," culture minister Nicky Morgan told BBC radio.
"If that is the case, that is extremely serious. One of the things we are looking for and monitoring is any interference in our elections, that is a serious, serious matter."
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Researchers told Reuters on Monday that the way the documents were first shared on Reddit and then promoted online closely resembled a disinformation campaign uncovered earlier this year which originated in Russia.
A Labour spokesman declined to comment on how the party obtained the leaked documents or ties to the Russian campaign, and said its decision to publish them on Nov 27 was in the public interest.
The documents contain 451 pages detailing six meetings between US and British officials to discuss trade and investment since July 2017.
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