May primed to point the finger at Russia
Intelligence chiefs provide PM with ‘key evidence’ on chemical attack
BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May was expected to name Russia overnight as responsible for the chemical weapons outrage in Salisbury after confirmation from spy chiefs.
The PM’s explosive move could plunge relations between London and Moscow into their worst crisis since the end of the Cold War.
A key intelligence assessment of who was behind the nerve agent poisoning was reportedly put on the PM’s desk yesterday.
In their report to Ms May, MI5 and MI6 chiefs cited the very rare substance used on exspy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia as key evidence of the Kremlin’s involvement, The Sun has learned.
It is believed to have been developed in the SVR Russian foreign spy service’s notorious Yasenevo laboratory.
Ms May was expected to summon an emergency meeting of her National Security Council to decide on the scale of Britain’s retaliation.
A statement by her to the House of Commons to make the formal charge against Moscow was also expected.
Ms May could even go so far as heaping blame on Vladimir Putin personally. Under Russian law, foreign assassinations – known as “wet jobs” – must be authorised by the President.
But ministers are still undecided on exactly when to mount the UK’s retaliation.
A “full spectrum” package of expulsions and economic sanctions has been drawn up, along with a plea for international support for them.
But it is feared a strong reaction ahead of Russia’s presidential elections on Sunday may play into Mr Putin’s hands.
It is suspected the Russian ruler sanctioned the brazen nerve agent attack simply to goad Britain into a reaction that he can strike back against and look like a strongman standing up to the West.
Former British ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton said on Sunday: “The more Putin can point to Western hostility and aggression, the more he rallies the Russian people around him”.
He added: “Russia is number one on a list of suspects that doesn’t include a number two”.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, also told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that Britain would not be humiliated by the attack, which broke every rule in the international book.
The Prime Minister came under mounting pressure on Sunday night from campaigners and her own MPs to hit back at Russia.
It also emerged the Cabinet’s two hawks – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson – want military reinforcements to be sent to Eastern Europe and provocative exercises by Royal Navy ships in the Black Sea.
RUSSIA IS NUMBER ONE ON A LIST OF SUSPECTS THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE A NUMBER TWO. — FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA SIR TONY BRENTON