Russia attempted to influence the results of the general election by promoting the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, it has been claimed.

6,500 Russian Twitter accounts, many of which are run by internet robots known as "bots", supported Labour in the run up to last year's election, an investigation by The Sunday Times has found.

The social media accounts, most of which were created in the weeks before polling day, denigrated the Conservatives and promoted Labour during key points of the campaign, according to reports.

The Twitter accounts helped Corbyn turn the Manchester Arena bombing into a campaigning point by amplifying tweets criticising May for cutting police numbers as Home Secretary, it was claimed.

Matt Hancock, the digital and culture secretary, said the revelations are "extremely concerning" and urged Twitter to act to prevent it from happening again.