Everything you need to know about the Intelligence and Security Committee’s Russia report

The Intelligence and Security Committee's long-awaited report into Russian activity in the UK has called for "immediate action" to tackle it.

The report claims the UK government "actively avoided" looking for Russian interference during the EU and Scottish independence referendums.

It had been claimed ahead of publication that the report would feature evidence of "the first post-Soviet interference in a Western democratic election," but much of the "highly sensitive" detail will not be made public, over fears Russia could use it to threaten the UK.

Describing Russian interference as “the new normal”, the committee found that “Russia's cyber capability, when combined with its willingness to deploy it in a malicious capacity, is a matter of grave concern, and poses an immediate and urgent threat to our national security."

Here's everything you need to know about the report and what it contains.

Why was the report delayed?

The report has been published after months of setbacks, and was postponed by Boris Johnson's decision to call a general election in late 2019. The committee members also criticised Downing Street for the delay in publication.

Labour MP Kevan Jones said there was "no reason" for the delay in the publication, adding that claims by the Prime Minister it required six weeks to get his confirmation for the report were "categorically not true".

What is in the report?

The inquiry covered a number of topics, and concluded that the UK is a "top target" for Russia.

But perhaps the most damning thing to come out of the report is its accusation that no one in the British government sought to identify the truth, which is why there is no evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum.

Nobody in Government wanted to touch the issue of Russian interference with a “10-foot pole”, Intelligence and Security Committee member Stewart Hosie said at a press conference to launch the report, “because they did not want to know”.

“This is in stark contrast to the US response to reported interference in the 2016 presidential election," he added.

“There should have been an assessment of Russian interference in the EU referendum and there must now be one, and the public must be told the results of that assessment.”

The report includes a recommendation for an independent enquiry into the influence of Russia on the 2016 European Referendum.

However, the British government has rejected the need for an investigation.