The spectre of Putin’s stooge in Downing St

IN a brutally uncompromising statement, three of Britain’s closest allies yesterday laid the blame for the Salisbury nerve agent attack firmly at Moscow’s door, rightly calling it an ‘assault on UK sovereignty’. There is ‘ no plausible alternative’ to Kremlin involvement, they argued.

Standing foursquare behind Theresa May, the US, France and Germany accuse Russia of breaching chemical weapons treaties and demand ‘full and complete disclosure’ of the Novichok research programme. Their timely support paves the way for international efforts against Vladimir Putin’s gangster state.

It was also a triumph for Mrs May’s quiet diplomacy, and her Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Less than 24 hours after slippery French president Emmanuel Macron showed signs of wobbling, the PM has brought him on board.

With France and Germany heavily reliant on Russian gas, this was no mean feat. Meanwhile Donald Trump, spurred by Russian cyber-attacks on the US power grid, hit Putin’s cronies with new sanctions.

And how significant that, away from the negative hysteria of the Westminster bubble, Mrs May was warmly greeted by crowds near the scene of the attack. This has been a good week for her.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn still can’t bring himself to blame Moscow directly, despite revolt among Labour MPs appalled by his craven appeasement. Shamefully, his Trotskyite spin doctor Seumas Milne – who has spent years cosying up to Russia – has questioned, without any evidence, the findings of Britain’s security services.

The Mail has never doubted the Labour leader’s rank unsuitability for high office. From the IRA to Hezbollah, he has a long history of siding with Britain’s enemies.

But this crisis proves beyond question the living nightmare it would be if Putin’s stooge was sitting in Number 10 today.