Alex Salmond should cut all ties with Russia Today in wake of Skripal poisoning

No doubt Russia is denying involvement in the nerve gas poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, whatever the evidence. But even before the Salisbury outrage, the charge sheet was long; and the office of our First Minister had thus been disgraced by its former holder, Alex Salmond.

He hosts a chat show on the state mouthpiece Russia Today, also known as RT. This broadcaster and his firm has been cashing in on the prestige of his old status by being part of the Russian media offensive on the West. However, telling truth to power is not the station’s business: 14 times RT has been censored by the regulator Ofcom for inaccurate news, including a claim the BBC “faked” evidence of a Russian chemical attack in Syria. Does the RT crowd think the Salisbury attack was made up? Either Mr Salmond should debate, on-air, Russia’s much-denied involvement in the Skripal, Litvinenko and Markov attacks, the shooting down of an innocent airliner in Ukraine, illegal annexation and alleged media dirty wars or he should abandon the show, apologise to Scotland for tainting our human rights record by association, and enter long-overdue retirement.

In particular, he should not be supported in his plans to become part of The Scotsman or its ownership group, for which his poor judgment has shown himself singularly ill-suited.

PETER SMAILL Currie Mains, Borthwick

While a former Russian spy and MI6 agent, and his daughter, lie critically ill in hospital in Salisbury as a result of a “highly likely”, according to Theresa May, murder attempt by the Russians using the nerve gas Novichok, the Conservative Party at their Black and White Ball has auctioned, for £30,000, a meal with the Defence Secretary... to the wife of a former crony of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The rich Tory-supporting Russian banker, who is allowed to bring her friends along to the dinner, has previously paid £160,000 to the Tories for a game of tennis with the Foreign Secretary, and £20,000 for lunch with Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

Yet, with amazing hypocrisy, the Tories accuse Jeremy Corbyn of being a Russian spy because 30 years ago, during the Cold War, he met an individual who, it was later found, worked for Czech intelligence.

PHIL TATE Craiglockhart Road, Edinburgh