¬Ê23 spies sent home Snub to World Cup

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THERESA May yesterday kicked 23 Russian spies out of Britain in retaliation for the nerve agent attack.

The Prime Minister responded to Moscow’s “sarcasm and disdain” over the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33.

She gave the undeclared intelligence agents seven days to go.

Mrs May also cut off all high level contact with Russia.

She paved the way for a crackdown on corrupt money in London and raised the possibility of asset seizures and travel bans.

The PM also cancelled a planned visit by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

But she warned there would be secret reprisals which sources claimed could involve cyber attacks.

Mrs May said no government ministers or member of the Royal Family would attend the World Cup which starts in Russia in June.

On the England team, she suggested the Football Association should consider its position.

She said: “I think the attendance at sporting events is a matter for sporting authorities.’’

The 24,000 fans expected to travel to the tournament were urged to check Foreign Office advice before they set off.

Mrs May said she was determined the measures – which involve expelling 40% of Vladimir Putin’s diplomats – would degrade Russian intelligence in the UK.

She said the president had ignored her deadline to explain how Russian-made militarygrade novichok nerve agent had come to be used in last week’s attack. Mr Putin smirked and refused to deny Russia’s involvement when asked about the attack by the BBC. The Russian embassy then sent out a series of menacing tweets including one showing a photo of a stockpile of chemical vials. “Any threat to take ‘punitive’ measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that,’’ one message read. “Every action has an equal or opposite reaction,” another said. Mrs May said: “They have treated the use of this poison with sarcasm and disdain.

“There is no other conclusion other than that the Russian state was responsible for the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

“This will be the single biggest expulsion in over 30 years and it reflects the fact this is not the first time that the Russian state has acted against our country.”

The UK also called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations security council.

Mrs May said: “Many of us looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope.

“We wanted a better relationship and it is tragic that President Putin has chosen to act in this way.

“But we will not tolerate the threat to life of British people and others