UK threatens Russia over Skripal spy poisoning

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned the UK would respond ‘robustly’ if evidence pointed to Russian involvement in the collapse of former spy Sergei Skripal. Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia, above, were found unconscious in a park in Salisbury on Sunday

Boris Johnson sparked a war of words with the Kremlin over the suspected poisoning of a Russian double agent, threatening to boycott this summer’s football world cup if evidence links Russia to the incident.

The Foreign Secretary said the UK would respond “appropriately and robustly” if “suspicions” about Russian involvement in the mysterious illness that struck down Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, in a park in Salisbury during daylight hours on Sunday.

Both remain in a critical condition at Salisbury District Hospital, where they are being treated in intensive care for “suspected exposure to an unknown substance”.

Prime Minister Theresa May and senior ministers were updated on the investigation, which has been taken over by counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police, at a meeting of the National Security Council. Tests are being carried out at the Porton Down military research facility to try identify the toxin involved.

A member of the emergency services is also in hospital after officers dealing with the incident complained of itchy eyes and breathing difficulties.

Police said “a small number” of other emergency services staff were assessed, but are not being treated. Wiltshire Police cordoned off a branch of the restaurant chain Zizzi and a pub in Salisbury as a precaution, but authorities say there is no risk to public health.

Skripal is a former colonel in Russia’s GRU military intelligence service who was convicted in 2006 of spying for Britain and imprisoned, and later given an amnesty as part of a “spy swap” involving a Russian cell detained in the United States.

The Foreign Secretary told MPS that the “disturbing incident” had “echoes” of the death of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who was fatally poisoned in London in 2006.

Updating MPS on the UK’S relations with Russia, Mr Johnson said “it will be very difficult to imagine that UK representation at [the world cup] will go ahead in the normal way” if Moscow is shown to be involved.

However, Foreign Office officials later clarified that any boycott would only involve British dignitaries, and not the England football team Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, said the incident involving the former double agent “bears all the hallmarks of a Russian attack.”

Mr Tugendhat claimed confirmation of Russian involvement would amount to “a soft war against the UK” by Moscow.

The Foreign Secretary responded that Russia was “in many respects a malign and disruptive force”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Mr Johnson’s remarks as “wild”.

The Russian Embassy said it was “completely untrue” to suggest the country’s special services were involved and criticised Mr Johnson for speaking “in such a manner as if the investigation was already over”.

In a statement, the embassy