‘We blame Russia’: May

British PM says Moscow likely responsible for ‘despicable’ poisoning

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May says it is “highly likely” that Moscow was responsible for the poisoning in England of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter using a military-grade nerve agent.

Ms May told Parliament that either the Russian state was directly responsible for the poisoning or it had allowed the nerve agent to get into the hands of others. London has given Russia until today to explain its use. British officials identified the substance as being part of the Novichok group of nerve agents developed by the Soviets in the 1970s and 1980s, Ms May said.

Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33year-old daughter, Yulia, have been in hospital in critical condition since being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the city of Salisbury on March 4.

“Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom,” Ms May said, calling the attack a “reckless and despicable act”.

Russia’s foreign ministry hit back immediately, saying Ms May’s comments were a “circus show” and part of a political information campaign.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said his country had “full confidence” in Britain’s assessment that Russia was probably responsible.

“We agree those responsible … must face appropriately serious consequences,” he said.

Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the US stood by America’s “closest ally” but stopped short of blaming Russia. NATO Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the use of any nerve agent was “horrendous and completely unacceptable”.

Relations between Britain and Russia have been strained since the murder in London of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died in 2006 after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210.

Ms May yesterday said the latest poisoning took place “against a backdrop of a wellestablished pattern of Russian state aggression” and that Britain was ready to take “much more extensive measures” against Russia than in the past.

A British policeman who was one of the first to attend to the stricken spy was also affected by the nerve agent. He is now conscious, police said.