Corbyn doubts Russian links to ex-spy poisoning

Jeremy Corbyn's Russia problem just got worse.

Long at the far left of British politics, the Opposition Leader misjudged the mood of MPs - including from his own Labour Party - by casting doubt on Russian Government involvement in the poisoning of a former spy on UK soil.

Prime Minister Theresa May listed a slew of measures the UK will take against Russia for the attack more than a week ago in western England, including the expulsion of 23 diplomats. Sergei Skripal and his daughter, she said, were poisoned by a nerve agent developed by Russia.

Corbyn then stood up to "echo" her words of support for emergency services - but noticeably failed to back her condemnation of Russia.

He suggested nothing was yet proven, and asked May if it was possible that Russia lost control of the nerve agent rather than deploying it itself.

His request to know how she responded to a Russian demand for a sample so they could carry out their own tests sparked howls of disapproval from MPs.

Corbyn's spokesman later told reporters that his record on international crises is bettered by no MP in Parliament.

He said the UK has a history of intelligence mistakes, including on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and called for the Government to act only on the basis of evidence - pointing out that Corbyn had also received security briefings.

May was still taking MPs' questions when she was asked about that statement. "Wrong and outrageous," she called it.

While Corbyn did say a "robust dialogue" was needed with Russia, his stance sits uneasily with his past left-wing activities, and comes just weeks after the papers were filled with reports - denied by the Labour leader - that he fed intelligence to a Czech agent in the 1980s.

Corbyn accused of 'appeasement' towards Russia https://t.co/yv2QbfT29R

— SkyNews (@SkyNews) March 14, 2018

Corbyn had similarly misjudged the mood on Tuesday when May first pointed the finger at Russia, giving President Vladimir Putin 24 hours to explain how the nerve agent came to be used in Britain.

The Labour leader chose to direct his ire at May's Conservative Party, who he said accepted more than £800,000 in donations from Russian oligarchs.

Today, it was left to Yvette Cooper - beaten to the Labour leadership by Corbyn in 2015 and now chairwoman of Parliament's Home Affairs Committee - to speak for moderate Labour MPs.

The Prime Minister's "conclusion about the culpability of the Russian state is an immensely serious one, and that, in addition to their breaches of international law, the use of chemical weapons, but also their continued disregard for the rule of the law and for human rights must be met with unequivocal condemnation," Cooper said, to near universal approval.

Govt is right to take action to dismantle Russian intelligence capability in UK, to agree now to the Magnitsky amendment, and to work through UN to expose Russia for deeply serious breaches of international law, chemical weapons prohibition & human rights.

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 14, 2018

Corbyn is challenging May on whether she has followed Chemical Weapons Convention protocol by officially requesting information from Russia and whether UK has shared samples of nerve agent with Russia

Exactly what Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has said these last two days

— Julia Macfarlane 🐅 (@juliamacfarlane) March 14, 2018

Corbyn clearly suspicious of what British spooks assert about Russia after the false evidence on WMD in Iraq

— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) March 14, 2018

8/ As someone who despises Putin condemns the attack, I fully support Corbyn's approach: tough questions for a government mired in Russian money and asking for evidence, due process and reliance on existing multilateral agencies inc OPCW

— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) March 14, 2018

The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.

The Russian authorities must be held to account on the basis of the evidence and our response must be both decisive and proportionate.https://t.co/yaI3fXbAAu

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 14, 2018

Just to be clear, the Corbyn call for evidence re Russia is a smokescreen, just as was Ed Miliband's for proof of Syrian use of WMD in 2013. The truth is that he and his closest advisor consider the US to be the greater threat, and always have.

— David Aaronovitch (@DAaronovitch) March 14, 2018

"Our response must be both decisive and proportionate and based on clear evidence."

Jeremy Corbyn responds after Theresa May says Britain will expel Russian diplomats over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. pic.twitter.com/RZsWEUP2rA

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 14, 2018

- Bloomberg