Russian Twitter accounts tried to help opposition in UK election

Russian Twitter accounts pumped out messages in support of the opposition Labour party in an attempt to influence last year's British election, according to new research.

The research by Swansea University and The Sunday Times found about 6,500 automated accounts sent messages praising the opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his policies in the closing stages of the election.

They also attacked Prime Minister Theresa May for refusing to take part in televised election debates and criticized her for cutting police numbers in the wake of the Manchester bombing.

The study found nine out of 10 messages from the accounts about Labour backed the party. In contrast, nine out of 10 tweets about the Conservatives were hostile.