A bitter political row has erupted between Labour and the Conservatives over their responses to the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of refusing to unequivocally blame Russia, labelling him 'the Kremlin's useful idiot' in a Sunday Times article.
Johnson wrote that the Kremlin had invented 29 theories about the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. He claimed Corbyn was giving 'succour' to Russia by not fully condemning Moscow. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said Corbyn had 'let the British people down', while policing minister Nick Hurd echoed criticism of his 'insufficiently clear' condemnation.
Labour hit back, with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner calling Johnson the 'government's useful idiot' for contradicting evidence from the Porton Down defence laboratory. She argued Johnson had undermined his own government's position by claiming Porton Down was 'absolutely categorical' that Russia was responsible, when the lab later said it could not verify the precise source of the Novichok agent.
Labour has called for an investigation into whether Johnson misled the public. The party insists Corbyn has repeatedly said evidence points to Russia's responsibility and that Moscow must be held to account. Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy has requested meetings with Johnson and Scotland Yard over the Salisbury case and the murder of Russian businessman Nikolay Glushkov, criticising a lack of information from British authorities.
