A reckless outrage

The caution of the Government and the police in investigating the alleged poisoning of the former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury is understandable. Until the full facts are known, it would be premature to point the finger of blame in one particular direction. But as more evidence emerges, it is hard to look any further than the Kremlin, or the Russian state apparatus, given its track record in overseas assassinations.

Moreover, the revelation that Sergei and Yulia Skripal were targeted by a nerve agent that has also left a police officer who found them critically ill takes this crime to a new level. As with the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, the perpetrators have been reckless about the risks to others from conducting their murderous vendettas on British territory. The killers of Mr Litvinenko left a trail of radioactive polonium around London. The would-be assassins of Mr Skripal used a substance that has endangered lives and triggered a major medical emergency. The authorities say there is no further risk to the public; but the culprits clearly could not have cared if there was.

While officially ministers are keeping an open mind, they have few doubts that the Russians are behind this outrage, just as the Kremlin was directly responsible for the murder of Mr Litvinenko. The implications for British-russian relations are as serious as it gets and this poses a major challenge for UK diplomacy. The response to the Litvinenko assassination, with the imposition of sanctions and a temporary freeze in contacts, was inadequate. The Government will need to be far tougher this time.