William facing pressure to boycott World Cup
ROYALS and ministers are under pressure to boycott the World Cup in Russia after the suspected poisoning of a double agent on British soil.
A member of the Royal Family would normally be expected to attend the tournament this summer. But Boris Johnson yesterday insisted the attack could not go unpunished.
The Foreign Secretary said that if the Kremlin was implicated ‘it would be very difficult to imagine’ officials, dignitaries and ministers going to Russia.
Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, and his brother Harry, have flown out to previous international tournaments.
Mr Johnson also enraged Moscow by describing Russia as a ‘malign and disruptive force’. Referring to the incident in Salisbury, he said: ‘We do not know exactly what has taken place, but if it is as bad as it looks, it is another crime in the litany of crimes that we can lay at Russia’s door.’
Sergei Skripal, who gave Russian secrets to Britain,
was exposed to a mystery substance at a shopping centre in the cathedral city. The
-year-old colonel and his daughter Yulia, 33, both collapsed and were critically ill in hospital last night.
As Scotland Yard launched an international manhunt to find their attacker:
Ministers were urged to reassess the safety of British fans at the World Cup;
Whitehall officials discussed the attack as ‘Litvinenko Two’, referring to the ex-KGB spy who was killed in London in 200 ;
Scientists at the Porton Down chemical weapons laboratory near Salisbury were working around the clock to identify the suspected fast-acting poison;
Police said two officers and another member of the emergency services who helped the Skripals were admitted to hospital after complaining of ‘itchy eyes’ and difficulty breathing;
An eyewitness to the former spy’s final lunch with his daughter at a Zizzi restaurant said he was ‘shouting and swearing’;
Workers in decontamination suits were seen last night at an ambulance station at Amesbury, seven miles from Salisbury.
Mr Johnson made his remarks when responding to an urgent question in the Commons yesterday. At first it was thought he was suggesting the England team would boycott the World Cup. But aides insisted he was referring to officials and dignitaries.
Tory MP Crispin Blunt said no royals should be sent to the World Cup if the Kremlin was found to be involved. Salisbury MP and Treasury minister John Glen said those responsible for ordering the attack had to be ‘held to account’.
Mr Glen said: ‘We cannot have silent assassins perpetrating this sort of crime, orchestrated from Moscow or wherever. If that proves to be the case, we will need to continue to stand up against it.’
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment on whether there were plans for any members of the Royal Family to attend the World Cup or whether they would decline to go.
It is understood there are no plans for Prince William to attend at this stage.
Theresa May was yesterday briefed on the investigation by the chiefs of MI5 and MI at a meeting of the National Security Council. A Whitehall source said: ‘The initial assessment is that this looks like “Litvinenko Two”. It is being treated very, very seriously as a political attack because of the other people affected by it.
‘If Putin is behind this then Britain needs to be robust and react, if that means royals boycotting the World Cup then so be it.’
The source added: ‘Discussions have taken place about the security of British civilians going to Russia.’
Scotland Yard’s counter terrorism command suspect that Mr Skripal was ambushed by an unknown assassin after sharing a late Sunday afternoon lunch with his daughter. Witnesses said the Russian was ‘shouting and swearing’ as he drank white wine during a 45-minute meal at the rear of a branch of Zizzi, away from other customers.
The pair, who ate seafood risotto and garlic bread, left quickly after demanding a discount on their food, claiming it was prepared too slowly. Experts are trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV to identify what happened, and when.
The pair were found almost unconscious and ‘staring into space’ on a bench overlooking the River Avon in Salisbury.
One line of inquiry is into whether the chemical was sprayed into Mr Skripal’s face as he emerged from an underpass linking two parts of the picturesque city centre.
Police forensic teams were later seen wearing full chemical hazard suits and respirators as they examined the small grassy area where Mr Skripal was found.
They have removed the table and chairs where the pair sat in the restaurant for tests. A ‘spray-style’ attack would have echoes of the murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport last year.
Former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned when polonium was slipped into his tea in London almost 12 years ago.
Mr Skripal was living in a former police safe house, purchased for £2 0,000 cash in 2011, in the Salisbury suburbs.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman yesterday accused Mr Johnson of prejudging the issue, saying: ‘The script of yet another anti-Russian campaign has been written.’
it could have been a scene from a Cold War thriller. A former KGB colonel who spied for Britain is found collapsed on a bench near his adopted home in rural england. Alongside him is his daughter. Both appear to have been poisoned.
though details are still sketchy, the finger of suspicion points firmly at Vladimir Putin. of course, the Kremlin denies all knowledge, but Mr Putin has a grisly record of having opponents murdered abroad. Who could forget the chilling polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko?
so if it is proved that Mr Putin was behind this latest attack, how should the Government retaliate? yes, it should expel known russian agents, which would almost certainly invite tit-for-tat expulsions from Moscow. yes, it could impose sanctions on oligarchs – many of whom have their homes and money here and educate their children at British schools and universities.
But what would really hurt Mr Putin would be to shame him in front of the world.
Which brings us to the question raised by Foreign secretary Boris Johnson yesterday of whether england should take part in the football World Cup in russia this summer.
Mr Johnson initially hinted england should pull out altogether. But after a predictable storm of protest, he backtracked, saying he had been referring only to a possible boycott by ‘officials and dignitaries’. this would of course include Prince William, who is president of the FA.
Given Mr Putin’s belligerence in ukraine and Crimea and ruthless bombing of civilians in syria (not to mention the drugs scandal in russian sport) it was an outrage that he was awarded the tournament at all.
He should be a pariah but, because of the cynicism and venality of the international football authorities, he’s been handed a perfect opportunity to strut the world stage.
it would be shameful if Prince William or any royal attended. the Mail accepts that england is unlikely to withdraw altogether. But profound questions remain over whether the team should attend.
russia is a gangster state and Putin a tyrannical bully, whose thugs are suspected of committing murder on British soil. Does the Government really want to endorse his grotesque World Cup propaganda coup?