Conspiracy theories about Salisbury poisoning worthy of a Le Carré spy novel

Having read the expert analysis of the Sergei Skripal case by your regular correspondent the Rev Dr John Cameron (Letters, 23 May), the first thing that came to my mind was John Le Carré.

(DR) PAUL MILLAR Riselaw Crescent, Edinburgh

The Rev John Cameron’s letter is worthy of Vladimir Putin himself as a piece of distortion combined with fake news. That the front door handle of the Skripal’s house was the most likely location for the poison has been widely reported for months, as has the medical assessment that an induced coma was a last resort attempt to enable the two Skripals’ bodies a chance to restore their critically-damaged immune systems. The poor man’s survival should be celebrated, not used for black propaganda. HECTOR MACLEAN

Balnaboth Kirriemuir, Angus

I would agree with the Rev Dr John Cameron that some of the pronouncements of Boris Johnson need to be taken with a large pinch of salt but to suggest that the claimed identity of the chemical involved in the Salisbury incident was either mistaken, or even faked, is a gross insult to both our Porton Down scientists and to the international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Novichok may take only half a minute or so to fatally impact on the respiratory system but of course, it first has to be ingested. Perhaps the Skripals were not in the habit of licking their fingers after shutting their front door ?

We may recall that one of the Russian chemists involved in the development of Novichok explained after the Salisbury affair how he had accidentally contaminated his own hands, and the procedures he took to avoid the likely consequence. Another dead man walking? (DR) A MCCORMICK

Kirkland Road Terregles, Dumfries