UK govt warns of Russian interference in general election

The country will go to the polls on Thursday, in an election expected to oustthe governing right-wing Conservatives and put the opposition Labour party inpower.
His comments came after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported thatit had uncovered five Facebook pages spreading the same pro-Kremlin talkingpoints.
Some of them encouraged support for the hard-right Reform UK party led byBrexiteer Nigel Farage -- a big challenger to the ruling Conservatives inThursday's vote, reports BSS.
"There is a threat in all elections, and indeed we see it in this electionfrom hostile state actors seeking to influence the outcome of the electioncampaign," Oliver Dowden told Sky News.
"Russia is a prime example of this, and this is a classic example from theRussian playbook," he added, noting however that the examples were"relatively typical, low-level stuff".
Farage -- an admirer of former US president Donald Trump -- dismissed claimsthat Russian bots might interfere in the election as "cobblers", using aBritish slang term for nonsense.
He has been criticised in the campaign for saying that the West provokedRussia's invasion of its neighbour Ukraine.
His anti-immigration party is tipped by pollsters to contribute to alandslide win by the centre left opposition Labour party by taking votes awayfrom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Tories.
Labour has enjoyed poll leads of more than 20 points throughout the campaign,but Sunak insisted on Sunday that he will still be Prime Minister come Fridaymorning.
"I'm fighting very hard and I think people are waking up to the real dangerof what a Labour government means," he told the BBC.
Labour, led by Keir Starmer, received another boost Sunday when theinfluential right-of-centre newspaper the Sunday Times endorsed his party.Music sensation Elton John also announced he was backing Labour.