Johnson says Russia has been stockpiling nerve agent used in spy attack
RUSSIA HAS been stockpiling the nerve agent used in the Salisbury spy attack for a decade, Boris Johnson claimed yesterday.
It came as Russian president Vladimir Putin last night won a fourth term and dismissed Russian involvement in the incident as “nonsense”.
Independent inspectors will arrive in the UK today to test the substance used in the attack, but the results will take at least two weeks. The Foreign Secretary said Moscow had investigated ways of delivering nerve agents for assassination over the last 10 years.
Mr Johnson, who also branded Russia’s diplomatic counter-measures “futile”, said: “We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling novichok.”
Investigators from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will visit the UK to take samples of the substance used to attack former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, in Salisbury. The team from The Hague will use international laboratories for tests.
Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, suggested the nerve agent may have come from the Porton Down laboratory, about eight miles from Salisbury.
STAR WARS: The Last Jedi was the big winner at the Rakuten TV Empire Awards, scooping the coveted best film prize.
Daisy Ridley was named best actress for her performance in the latest instalment in the space saga and Rian Johnson, who was at the helm of the movie, won best director.
Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, who reprised the role of Luke Skywalker in the film, was also at the ceremony in London where he was presented with the prestigious Empire Icon trophy.
The box office smash also triumphed in the costume design and visual effects categories.
The awards celebrate the best in film and entertainment from the past year and are voted for by movie fans. Other winners included Hugh Jackman, who attended to collect the best actor prize for Logan, and his co-star Dafne Keen who was voted best female newcomer. Wonder Woman won the best sci-fi/fantasy.