Summary
Afternoon summary
- Donald Trump has said the US will condemn Russia if it is found to be behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. The US president, who said he would be talking to Theresa May today to discuss the case, said: “It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all of the evidence they have.”
- Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical but stable condition. the Met’s counterterrorism chief said. Neil Basu said DS Nick Bailey remains in a serious but stable condition. In all, 38 people have been seen by medics in relation to the incident, of whom 34 have been discharged with another being monitored as an outpatient, Basu said.
- Ofcom has written to Towner of RT, formerly Russia Today, to inform it that if Moscow is implicated in the poisoning of Skripal, it will look into whether the broadcaster is “fit and proper”. In response, RT accused Ofcom of “linking RT to unrelated matters”.
- Another Russian exile, Nikolai Glushkov, who was close friends with the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky has been found dead, aged 68, in his London home. The Met police said counter terrorism officers are leading the inquiry into his death, which was described as “unexplained”. They added that there was no evidence to link it to events in Salisbury.
- Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, called for EU leaders to agree “countermeasures” against Russia at a summit next week, in light of the poisoning of Skripal.
-
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) called the use of the nerve agent novichok “extremely worrying” but stopped short of ordering an investigation. But, claiming that Theresa May’s ultimatum to Moscow breached OPCW protocol, which he said allows nations 10 days to respond, Russia’s ambassador to the OPCW, Alexander Shulgin, accused the UK government of making “unfounded accusations” and “pumping hysteria”.
- The Lib Dem leader, Vince Cable, called for an EU-wide boycott of this summer’s World Cup in Russia. He said a boycott by just England would be “futile” and said England could host the tournament should a boycott mean holding it in Russia would be unfeasible.
The Lib Dems’ leader, Vince Cable, has said there should be an EU-wide boycott of this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
He said:
Do it collectively. That would really hurt them. The World Cup would not be viable. It would make it pointless.
Urging the nine other EU countries who qualified for the tournament to show solidarity with England, he added:
I am not advocating Britain acting unilaterally. That would be a futile gesture. It would cause a lot of annoyance in the UK and have minimal impact on the tournament.
Cable said the UK could offer to host the World Cup if an EU walkout meant the tournament in Russia could not go ahead.
John Woodcock, chairman of Labour’s backbench foreign affairs committee, said England should consider not sending a team to Russia. Speaking to BBC 5 live’s Anna Foster, he said:
It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I’m afraid that the World Cup should now be in question.
I think England’s participation in the World Cup ought to be in question, but certainly there should be no question of government officials, dignitaries, of senior members of the FA going over there.
He said he had not personally decided if it would be right for England to play in the World Cup, adding:
I recognise this is the pinnacle of a player’s career, and they may only get one shot at it, so it’s not a step that should be taken lightly.
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, who said last week last week, that it would be “very difficult to imagine that UK representation” at the World Cup could “go ahead in the normal way, would only say on Tuesday:
You will find that our response is commensurate but robust.
The Met have released a statement on the death of the Russian exile, Nikolai Glushkov (see 3.17pm update), describing it as “unexplained”. It also says that counter terrorism command is leading the investigation.
The full statement reads:
An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough. Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 10.46am on Monday, 12 March to reports of a man found deceased at a residential address in Clarence Avenue, New Malden.
Officers attended and next of kin have been informed. Whilst we believe we know the identity of the deceased, formal identification is yet to take place. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
The death is currently being treated as an unexplained. If there is a change in the status of the investigation, an update will be provided. At this stage the Met police counter terrorism command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had.
There is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.
Updated
RT, formerly Russia Today, has hit back at the broadcasting regulator, after Ofcom warned that if Moscow was implicated in the poisoning of Skripal, it would look into whether the broadcaster is “fit and proper”. RT said in a statement:
We disagree with the position taken by Ofcom; our broadcasting has in no way changed this week, from any other week and continues to adhere to all standards.
By linking RT to unrelated matters, Ofcom is conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state.
RT remains a valuable voice in the UK news landscape, covering vital yet neglected stories and voices, including those of the many MPs and other UK public figures who have been shut out of public discourse by the mainstream media.
The deputy prime minister of Ireland, Simon Coveney, has expressed his country’s solidarity with the UK in identifying the perpetrator(s) of the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. He said:
Ireland condemns this cowardly attack which has taken place on our neighbour’s soil. The use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic weapons, is unacceptable and abhorrent.
The incident in Salisbury represents a disturbing violation of international law and goes against norms which have long been established. We join many states in supporting the UK’s efforts to ensure a thorough investigation so that the perpetrators of this crime can be held accountable.
We offer our full support and solidarity to the UK and to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in their efforts to seek answers and take appropriate action for this indiscriminate and reckless act.
Russia’s ambassador to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has accused the UK government of making “unfounded accusations” and “pumping hysteria” over the Salisbury poisoning.
In a letter to the OPCW following Theresa May’s statement that Russia has until midnight to explain how the Skripals were poisoned, Alexander Shulgin said:
We remind our English colleagues that Russia and the United Kingdom are members of the OPCW ... We call upon them to abandon the language of ultimatums and threats and return to the legal field of the chemical convention, which allows us to resolve this kind of situation.
Shulgin claimed May’s ultimatum breached OPCW protocol. He added:
We would also like to emphasise that such explanations under the chemical weapons convention are provided to the requesting state party as soon as possible, but in any case no later than ten days after the request is received. In this regard, the ultimatum demands to provide information immediately are absolutely unacceptable.
We urge our British colleagues to save propaganda fervour and slogans for an unenlightened domestic audience.
There they may work, within the walls of the specialised international organisation, such as the OPCW, one must operate with facts and only with facts. Stop pumping hysteria, officially formalise your request to us to begin consultations in order to clarify the situation.
Updated
Russian exile found dead in London
Another Russian exile, Nikolai Glushkov, who was close friends with the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky has been found dead, aged 68, in his London home, his lawyer has said. It is not yet clear what was the cause of death.
Updated
Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Russian upper house, has branded the UK’s allegations against the Kremlin as fake news and “a provocation”. In quotes carried by Russian news agency Tass, she said:
This is another fake [item of news] aimed at whipping up another round of the Russophobic campaign… What is being done in the UK harms our bilateral relations ...
It is obvious that it is a provocation against Russia and an attempt to groundlessly accuse Russia and exert influence and pressures… I believe that Britain’s investigative agencies will not follow this political trend, although such statements, made at a high level, are tantamount to pressure on the investigation. It’s an attempt to dictate a certain viewpoint, which is impermissible in a civilised legal system.
The UK broadcasting regulator says it has written to the owner of RT, formerly Russia Today, to inform it that if Moscow is implicated in the poisoning of Skripal, it will look into whether the broadcaster is “fit and proper”. In a statement, Ofcom says:
We have today written to ANO TV Novosti, holder of RT’s UK broadcast licences, which is financed from the budget of the Russian Federation. This letter explained that, should the UK investigating authorities determine that there was an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK, we would consider this relevant to our ongoing duty to be satisfied that RT is fit and proper.
The letter to RT said that we would carry out our independent fit and proper assessment on an expedited basis, and we would write to RT again shortly setting out details of our process.
Updated
Here are the key quotes from the statement given by Neil Basu, the new head of UK counter terror policing. Speaking outside Scotland Yard he said:
I can confirm the following: Yulia arrived into Heathrow airport on a flight from Russia at approximately 2.40pm on Saturday 3 March. At about 1.40pm on Sunday 4 March, Sergei and Yulia arrived at the Sainsbury’s upper level car park in the Maltings in Salisbury town centre. They went to the Bishop’s Mill pub before going to Zizzi restaurant at approximately 2.20pm and they were there until 3.35pm. Emergency services first received a report from a member of the public at 4.15pm and police officers who arrived in the town’s centre found Sergei and Yulia in an extremely serious condition on a park bench outside Zizzi restaurant.
I can confirm we have identified the nerve agent and that has enabled the authorities to assess and help mitigate risks attached to it. The latest assessments reveal that 38 people have been seen in relation to this incident. Of those, 34 have been assessed and discharged from hospital. Three remain in hospital and that is Sergei, Yulia and [DS] Nick [Bailey], and one person continues to be monitored as an outpatient but is not showing signs at this time.
We are exploring all investigative avenues. This includes extensive CCTV footage from across the city and over 380 exhibits so far.
In particularly I’m appealing for anyone who saw Sergei and Yulia in Sergei’s car which is a red BMW with a registration plate: HD09 WAO, in the Salisbury area between approximately 1pm and 1.45pm on Sunday 4 March.
The police are going to continue to see a great deal of police activity in and around city, including potentially more cordons being erected. But please don’t be alarmed. It is necessary as part of this major investigation. In truth it may last many weeks.
It is a painstaking operation to identify anyone of interest and eliminate them or include them, but at this stage we are not declaring person of interest or a suspect at this time.
Updated
Basu outlined a detailed timeline of events.
NEW: Met Police timeline on Salisbury spy nerve agent attack -
— Nick Stylianou (@nmsonline) March 13, 2018
- Sergei Skripal’s daughter Yulia arrived at Heathrow from Moscow at 2.40pm, Sat 3rd March.
- Both in Salisbury Sainsbury’s car park at 1.40pm, Sun 4th March.
- Went to The Mill pub, then Zizzi.
He appealed for anyone who had seek Skripal’s red BMW on Sunday 4 March or has dash cam footage.
The counterterrorism chief says the investigation “will understandably take a considerable period of time.”
At this stage we are not declaring a person of interest.
In response to a question, he also says it is too early to say where the poison was administered.
Basu says 38 people have been seen in relation to the incident, 34 have been discharged and another continues to be monitored as an outpatient (the other three are Skripal, his daughter and Bailey).
He stresses that the person being monitored as an outpatient is showing no ill effects at present.
Neil Basu, the Met police’s new counter-terrorism chief, has begun a statement on Salisbury describing it as a “reckless” and “despicable attack”.
He said Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical but stable condition.
Wiltshire police officer DS Nick Bailey remains in a serious but stable condition.
Here are the full quotes from the US president:
Well it sounds to me, I’m speaking to Theresa May today. It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all of the evidence they have.
I don’t know if they’ve come to a conclusion, but she’s calling me today.
Trump added:
Theresa May is going to be speaking to me today. It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact ...
As soon as we get the facts straight and we are going to be speaking with the British today, we’re speaking with Theresa May today, and as soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be.
But I have not spoken to her, I’ll speak to her sometime today.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, called for EU leaders to agree “countermeasures” against Russia at a summit next week.
The former Belgian prime minister, who has been a vocal critic of the British government over Brexit, said the attack had taken place on what was “still European soil”. He said:
Mrs May has said this is an attack against Britain as a country and I think that a common reaction in the next European Council (summit) is absolutely needed and countermeasures are (should) be decided by the EU.
We need a common European response to this outrage.
The Russian attack on Britain must be discussed by EU leaders at the summit next week. We need a common European response to this outrage #Skripal #EUCO #EPlenary pic.twitter.com/XfvEnQtzIQ
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) March 13, 2018
The international body responsible for policing chemical weapons abuses today/Tuesday expressed extreme worry about deployment of the nerve agent novichok in Salisbury, saying those found responsible must be held accountable.
The director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ahmet Üzümcü, made the statement on the opening day of a meeting of the executive council. He said:
The recent report that two people became seriously ill in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of exposure to a nerve agent is of serious concern.
It is extremely worrying that chemical agents are still being used to harm people. Those found responsible for this use must be held accountable for their actions.
With the UK unable to secure support at the United Nations security council or, so far from the White House, and neither Nato or the European Union seemingly interested in taking action, the 192-member OPCW offers at least one route to international action.
Üzümcü stopped short of ordering an investigation. A member state can request the OPCW to intervene. This would involve verifying the use of a nerve agent and then investigating whether Russia was in compliance with international treaty rules on chemical weapons.
Involving the OPCW could be among the raft of measures to be announced by Theresa May on Wednesday if she concludes Russia has failed to provide a credible response to the nerve attack.
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson spoke to Üzümcü on Monday night, informing him about the outcome of the Porton Down conclusion that novichok, a rare nerve agent developed by Russia, had been employed.
All 192 members have signed the convention on chemical weapons. An investigation by the OPCW would be potentially awkward - or at least embarrassing - for Russia.
Trump to discuss Skripal with May today
Donald Trump has said he will speaking to Theresa May today.
He added:
It seems to me they think like it’s Russia [behind the attack on Skripal] and I would certainly take that finding as fact.
If we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be.
Updated
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee this morning, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, said the investigation was going well.
She added:
The Russians have started responding. The prime minister has been very clear that they have until midnight tonight to satisfy her requests. Until then we will wait and see what they have put forward.
I know that international allies have begun to rally their support and make comments publicly but at the moment what we are doing is awaiting the Russian response before stepping up and responding as the prime minister has said we will.
She did not answer a question about whether a boycott of this year’s World Cup in Russia is a possibility.
Asked why the advice telling people who visited a pub and restaurant where the Skripal may have been poisoned to wash their clothes and possessions took so long to be issued, she said:
The public health advice came with the information that we were able to collect. I want to be absolutely clear that the chief medical officer has said any risk to the public is low.
The FA are not aware of any crisis talks around a possible boycott of the World Cup in Russia, as reported in this morning’s Daily Mail.
It is understood that discussions are happening with both the world governing body Fifa and security services on a regular basis around the safety the England squad, support staff and fans travelling to Russia.
The Skripal poisoning has almost certainly been raised in these talks as a matter of concern but, as it stands, England will travel to Russia for the tournament pending any further developments.
England attended Euro 2016 in France despite concerns around safety following the terrorist attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and in Paris, including at the Stade de France.
The prime minister’s spokesman has been asked about whether Theresa May is satisfied with the level of international support for the UK over the Salisbury attack.
He pointed to a positive conversation with Emmanuel Macron, and said there had been public statements from “senior EU figures” expressing support.
On the US, he highlighted a conversation with Rex Tillerson, just minutes before news broke that Donald Trump had removed his secretary of state.
Asked if she was disappointed about the lack of a tweet from the US president himself, the spokesman added: “It is not something I’ve asked the PM but the foreign secretary has spoken about a very good, positive conversation with Rex Tillerson.”
Hi, this is Haroon Siddique. I’m taking over the blog for a while, as we’re expecting a Met police statement on Salisbury in about 15 minutes.
Lunchtime summary
That’s all from me here for now, although it is possible we may re-activate this blog later if there are important new developments on the Russia story.
I will now be transferring to the business blog where Graeme Wearden and I will be covering Philip Hammond’s spring statement. You can follow it here.
Thanks for the comments.
The British ambassador in Moscow has been summoned to the Russian foreign ministry, my colleague Andrew Roth reports.
Russia has summoned the UK ambassador to foreign ministry in Moscow, as its foreign minister denied the country was behind last week’s nerve agent attack in Salisbury and said it would only cooperate in an investigation if it received samples of the agent. https://t.co/qDkuw1LfOI
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) March 13, 2018
David Frum, a Republican former speechwriter to George W Bush but a fierce critic of Donald Trump’s, has written a strong column for the Atlantic about the White House’s refusal to blame Russia for the Salisbury attack. (See 8.46am.) Here’s an excerpt.
For now, though, we are presented with the most astounding yet Trump default from traditional U.S. alliances and leadership. At Monday’s White House press conference, Sarah Huckabee Sanders rebuffed repeated questions about whether the U.S. even supported the U.K. finding of fact about Russian responsibility.
As the default continues and expands, the evidence accumulates: Trump simply will not act to protect the U.S. and its allies against even Russian aggression, even on their own territory, even in the form of attempted murder.
Trump’s inaction speaks louder than any words. It is a confession for all to hear.
William Hague, the Conservative former foreign secretary, has written a punchy and incisive column on Russia in today’s Telegraph (paywall). He says people on all sides of the political spectrum will have to admit that they have misjudged Moscow. Here’s an extract.
Admitting that Russia is a serious, long-term threat to our security is an awful, excruciatingly painful exercise for a great many people. For military planners, it means nearly 30 years of downgrading the need for large and strong conventional forces has been a mistake. For neo-conservatives, it means the assumption that democracy will prosper even in areas where it has few foundations was hopelessly wrong. For the likes of Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, it means fawning admiration of Putin was naïve. For people like former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has been happy to be paid to advance Russia’s energy interests, it means their actions were gravely ill-judged. For those like John McDonnell, who have spent years appearing on Russia Today and now make a virtue of desisting, or Alex Salmond who hosts his own show on the channel, it means recognition of deep gullibility ...
Can it really be true that Russia is equipping itself to snap the undersea cables on which all our communications and finances depend? Afraid it is. Are they actually positioning themselves to hack into our vital national infrastructure and disrupt it? Looks like it. Can they possibly maintain Soviet levels of espionage and covert activity in our free European societies? You bet they can. Are they flying aggressive sorties to test our air defences? Yup. And surely they’re not developing new chemicals and deadly poisons as well? Of course they are.
A new piece of research looks at the way that female and male leaders are treated on social media. The research, by the social enterprise Atalanta (which is focused on female representation in government) compared Theresa May to Jeremy Corbyn alongside pairs of female and male political leaders in South Africa and Chile.
They found that May had three times the share of comments about her appearance than Corbyn, and messages about May were often gendered.
Across all three pairs women were 3.4 times more likely than men to experience gender-related derogatory comments.
Meanwhile, 74.1% of comments related to a leaders’ appearance were aimed at women, and 71.8% of those related to marital status. They were also more likely to be negative when aimed at women.
And it is male authors who dominated gendered conversations.
Barnier says UK has to face up to 'hard facts' about Brexit
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, also spoke in the European parliament debate on its Brexit resolution. He said it was “rather surprising” that the UK thought the EU would accept convergence in some areas “and at the same time open up the possibility for divergence when there is a comparative advantage to be had” for the UK.
Barnier told MEPs:
I listened attentively to Theresa May’s Mansion House speech which confirms the door is closing itself by confirming the red lines - leaving the single market, leaving the customs union ...
It’s time to face up to the hard facts. The UK is choosing to leave the union, the single market and the customs union, we have noted that.
Do they also want to distance themselves from our regulatory model, the one that we have constructed together with you - and you with us - for 44 years?
In an interview in the Evening Standard on Monday Amber Rudd, the home secretary, indicated that she remained highly sceptical that all 14 deaths flagged up as potentially suspicious (see 11.09am) could be linked to the Russians.
Referring to Lord Blair, the former Met commissioner who has also called for the deaths to be reviews, she said:
You know I’m not dismissing it at all and after we’ve got beyond this incident it may be right to look at them all again.
Well, not all of them — I expect even Lord Blair would probably say one or two or three or four.
Lord Blair last week said investigators should “see whether there is some pattern here of people who go out jogging and fall dead, and who are found dead in their house in Surrey and so on”.
Rudd says police and MI5 to check 14 deaths deemed natural for potential Russian involvement
Last week Yvette Cooper, the Labour chair of the Commons home affairs committee, wrote to Amber Rudd, the home secretary, asking for an investigation into the 14 deaths not being treated as suspicious by the police but which, according to a BuzzFeed investigation, are thought by US intelligence to be potentially linked to Russia.
Today the committee has published Rudd’s reply (pdf). Rudd said she would take this up with the police and MI5, and told Cooper:
In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that. The police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavour. I will write to you again with my conclusions.
In response, Cooper said:
I welcome the Home Secretary’s decision to look again at other cases where questions have been raised. Rightly, the government is focused on the current investigation into the attack in Salisbury and supporting the efforts of the police, as well as responding to the incredibly serious conclusion the Prime Minister announced in the Commons yesterday.
But given the gravity of these issues, it is also right that the authorities should reassure us that they have looked at any further allegations or relevant evidence put forward in any other cases. As the home secretary has said in her letter, the government must satisfy itself that the correct finding was reached in each case and the public need to know that relevant questions about wider Russia links have been investigated and answered.
Russia demands access to nerve agent found by British investigators
Russia is demanding access to the nerve agent identified by British investigators that was used to poison Sergei Skripal, the Press Association is reporting.
#Breaking Russia is demanding access to samples of nerve agent that poisoned ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says pic.twitter.com/0AaSJLR1Jn
— Press Association (@PA) March 13, 2018
In a separate interview for international broadcasters, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, also stressed that the British government’s dispute was with the Russian government, not the Russian people. He said:
We don’t want to demonise either Russia or the Russian people for whom obviously we have a very high regard.
Russia is a great country. It is a great pity therefore that the Russian regime seems to be moving in this dangerous and disruptive direction.
Russian foreign ministry mocks May's statement about Moscow's involvement in Salisbury attack
Russia’s foreign ministry has mocked Theresa May over her conclusion that it was “highly likely” Moscow was responsible for the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. As the Press Association reports, in a post on Twitter, the ministry’s official account used the hashtag HighlyLikelyRussia - which has been used on social media as the basis of jokes for things to blame Moscow for. The ministry of foreign affairs’ message said “sincere thanks to May for HighlyLikelyRussia” along with a video suggesting the country was to blame for the recent snow to fall in the UK.
Sincere thanks to Mrs May for #HighlyLikelyRussia
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) March 12, 2018
It's gone to people 🌬 And here is the first news for #HighlyLikelyRussia ⬇ pic.twitter.com/sy3qMzBitU
Boris Johnson confirms UK will announce its response to Russia tomorrow
Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, said this morning that he has been “very encouraged” by the support the UK has been getting internationally since Theresa May’s statement about Russia’s involvement in the Salisbury attack yesterday.
He also confirmed that the government would announce what action it will take in response tomorrow. He said:
What we’re doing today is giving Russia until midnight tonight to explain how it came to be that novichok was used on the streets of Wiltshire. If they can come up with a convincing explanation then obviously we will want to see full disclosure of that to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague.
If not, then clearly we will want to be announcing the UK response and that will come tomorrow.
In the meantime what we’ve been doing is talking to friends and partners, explaining what we see as the high likelihood of Russian state agency. And I’ve been very encouraged so far by the strength of the support that we are getting.
I think in particular from President Macron of France, I talked to Sigmar Gabriel my German counterpart, and from Washington where Rex Tillerson last night made it absolutely clear that he sees this as part of a pattern of disruptive behaviour, increasingly disruptive behaviour, malign behaviour by Russia, the reckless use of chemical weapons, the support for the reckless use of chemical weapons which stretches from Syria now to the streets of Salisbury.
I’ve been encouraged by the willingness of our friends to show support and solidarity.
He also stressed the seriousness of what happened.
The first thing is to get over to our friends and partners exactly what has happened and that’s what we’ve been doing today. And as the prime minister explained yesterday, this is a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on UK soil.
A policeman still in hospital. Overwhelmingly likely, or highly likely that the Russian state was involved.
And the use of this nerve agent would represent the first use of nerve agents on the continent of Europe since the Second World War.
In the Commons yesterday two MPs asked Theresa May to consider banning the pro-Kremlin news channel RT (formerly Russia Today). May said she knew that this was an issue of concern to MPs, but she did not make any firm proposals. She said she would be making a further statement later setting out her proposals for retaliatory action.
On the Today programme Dominic Raab, the housing minister, said that there might be a case for taking action against RT if it was involved in the Salisbury attack (no one has suggested it was), but that he would not favour banning it just because it is a propaganda channel. He said:
I’m generally in favour of free speech and I think people can judge [Russia Today] on its own terms.
Last night Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, put out a non-committal statement about RT. It said:
Ofcom has an ongoing duty to be satisfied that all broadcast licensees are fit and proper to hold a licence.
We have heard the pime minister’s statement in the House of Commons this afternoon and we await her further statement on Wednesday. We will then consider the implications for RT’s broadcast licences.
A separate issue is whether RT continues to be shown in parliament. Currently it is one of the many channels shown on TVs within the parliamentary estate (on channel 206, between Euronews and CNN.) Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, has said she will ask for this to be reviewed.
Juncker says UK will regret its decision to leave EU
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, told MEPs this morning that the UK would come to regret its decision to leave the EU. As the Press Association reports, Juncker said things “cannot remain as they are” for the UK in its relationship with the EU after leaving the bloc. Addressing the European parliament, Juncker was cheered by Eurosceptic MEPs as he noted the UK’s departure was due on March 29 2019. Responding to their applause, Juncker said the time would come “when you will regret your decision”.
Juncker also said the EU was ready to work with the UK on its preferred option of the border issue being resolved in the future trade deal, or by other specific measures. But he added “we need to receive concrete proposals from the UK first”.
But David Miliband, the former Labour foreign secretary, told the same programme that it was “very worrying” that the White House was not able to blame Russia. He told Today:
The biggest thing [Theresa May] has to do in the next two days is to rally her allies.
It is very significant and very worrying, frankly, that the White House has not felt able to point the finger at Russia in the last seven or eight days.
And, I think that rallying the European allies, and, if possible, significant strands of American opinion, is absolutely key.
On the Today programme Kurt Volker, an American diplomat who currently serves as the US special representative for Ukraine, said the UK should not be worried about the White House’s failure to accept Russia was to blame for the Salisbury attack. Asked about this, he said:
I wouldn’t be worried at all. I think the secretary of state came out last night with a very robust statement.
Raab denies reports UK trying to get Nato allies to join retaliatory action against Russia under article 5
Dominic Raab, the housing minister, has been giving two interviews this morning. On the Today programme he was asked about the spring statement and the Salisbury attack, neither of which are subjects relevant to his portfolio, but he is clearly trusted to speak on the government on these issues, otherwise he would not have been put up. Here are the key points he made.
- Raab said the government would offer a “robust” response to Russia if it could not provide a credible explanation for the Salisbury attack by tonight and gave some clues as to what ministers are planning. He said:
If, as is widely feared it turns out that there is no credible explanation for this [and] that the Russian authorities were responsible for it directly, then it would be an unlawful use of force on UK soil. And that opens up the whole panoply of counter measures from economic, financial, diplomatic measures.
And there is obviously, as you know, a lot of talk about the Magnitsky sanctions ...
I think in the absence of a credible explanation, you can expect to see a robust approach from the government.
My colleague Patrick Wintour has a good article looking in detail at what action the UK could take against Russia.
- Raab denied suggestions that the government was asking Nato allies to join retaliatory action against Russia by invoking article 5, which says an attack on one Nato country should be considered an attack on all of them. Today’s Telegraph says in its splash (paywall): “President Donald Trump and other key Nato allies including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are being sounded out about support for invoking Nato’s Article 5 principle of common defence, which states that an attack on one member of the organisation is an attack on all 29 members.” But, when asked about this, Raab dismissed the report. He said:
The prime minister chose her words very carefully. The words ‘unlawful use of force’ have a different meaning in international law from an armed attack. The range [of measures] would I believe extend to and include: diplomatic measures, financial measures, economic measures and issues around visa bans and things like that.
- He criticised Jeremy Corbyn’s response to May’s statement yesterday. He said:
Frankly the leader of the Labour party needs to grow a backbone and show some mettle. People will expect both as a matter of principle, but also the issue of protecting the public at large, that we take a resolute responsible approach but a resolute and robust one.
Tillerson firmly backs UK over Salisbury spy poisoning as White House refuses to blame Russia
Theresa May’s announcement yesterday about Russia’s involvement in the Salisbury nerve agent attack has prompted reaction around the world, although mixed messages have been coming out of Washington.
Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, has strongly backed May, and the British government’s assessment about it being “highly likely” that Russia ordered the attack. Tillerson spoke to Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, yesterday and afterwards he put out a statement saying he was “outraged” by what happened. It said:
We have full confidence in the UK’s investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack that took place in Salisbury last week.
There is never a justification for this type of attack – the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation – and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior. From Ukraine to Syria – and now the UK – Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the life of their citizens.
We agree that those responsible – both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it – must face appropriately serious consequences. We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the United Kingdom and will continue to coordinate closely our responses.
But at the regular White House press briefing the president’s press secretary, Sarah Sanders, refused repeatedly to assign blame to Russia. She just said the US condemned the attack and was standing by its ally. Here’s an excerpt from the official transcript.
Q: So you’re not saying that Russia was behind this act?
MS. SANDERS: Right now, we are standing with our UK ally. I think they’re still working through even some of the details of that. And we’re going to continue to work with the UK, and we certainly stand with them throughout this process.
Q: Theresa May said it was either Russia using it themselves or that it had given its chemical weapons to a third party to murder a British citizen, the latter being highly unlikely, given the nature of this weapon. So —
MS. SANDERS: Like I just said, Zeke, we stand with our ally. And we certainly fully support them, and are ready if we can be of any assistance to them.
I will be covering more on this story, and other political developments, this morning.
Then, at around 12pm, I will be joining up with my colleague Graeme Wearden to cover the spring statement. Graeme has already started a blog devoted to this, which you can read here.
ou can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news from Jack Blanchard. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’ top 10 must reads.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.
Updated
