Cambridge Analytica says Facebook data was worthless and insists it never did any work on Brexit

Data and marketing firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) has said it played absolutely no role in the UK’s Brexit referendum and insisted that any data gathered from Facebook users was worthless.

A spokesman for CA this afternoon said it had deleted the Facebook user data received from developer Aleksandr Kogan’s firm GSR, adding it was “virtually useless” for its intended campaigning usage.

This echoes evidence given by Kogan this morning, when he described it as marginally “more accurate than a random guess”. Using this data to run Facebook adverts “was just a waste of time – and a colossal waste of money,” Kogan said.

But it contradicts statements made by former chief executive Alexander Nix last month, when he told the same DCMS committee he had not received any data from GSR since 2014.

The spokesman confirmed that Nix was still suspended from the company and “not refusing” to appear before the committee for further questioning, but waiting until the ongoing investigations have completed.

The spokesman, former BBC journalist Clarence Mitchell, also confirmed that Cambridge Analytica worked for the Trump campaign for five months and pitched to work for Leave.EU – as well as the Remain campaign – but were not hired.

“To suggest that somehow not working on the campaign has somehow brainwashed people to vote in a certain way, both in US and UK, is insulting to voters,” Mitchell said. “The company is being portrayed as some kind of Bond villain.”

He also pointed to the fact that whistleblower Christopher Wylie’s firm Eunoia had received more detailed data – something which Kogan also confirmed this morning.