POISONING! UK to evict 23 Russian diplomats due to proven attempted poisoning…

Britain is braced for retaliation from Moscow after Theresa May blamed the Russian state for the Salisbury poisoning, and announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and a crackdown on “corrupt elites”.

The prime minister told the House of Commons the Kremlin had responded with “sarcasm, contempt and defiance” to the 24-hour deadline the government set on Monday for explaining the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal.

“Their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events,” May told MPs. She said: “There is no alternative conclusion other than the Russian state was responsible for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter.”

It was “unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom”, May said.

May announced that the government would take a series of measures, including cutting off high-level diplomatic contact, strengthening powers to detain suspected intelligence agents at the border, and expelling 23 “undeclared intelligence agents”. That is the largest such move since the cold war, and marks a considerable escalation on the expulsion of four diplomats after the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in 2007.

“We will not tolerate the threat to life of British people and others on British soil from the Russian government. Nor will we tolerate such a flagrant breach of Russia’s international obligations,” May said. “We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents. There is no place for these people – or their money – in our country.”

Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, had earlier confirmed that British diplomats would be expelled from Moscow in retaliation.

Asked in an interview with Sky News about what would happen after May’s statement, Yakovenko said: “There will be expulsions. As you understand in diplomatic practice, there will be answers from the Russian side.” When he was asked to clarify if this meant British diplomats being expelled from Moscow, he replied: “In diplomacy, there is always reciprocity.”

Yakovenko also said that what the UK government was doing was “absolutely unacceptable,” and that it should refer the matter to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

May’s Commons statement followed an announcement by the Foreign Office that the UK had called for an urgent meeting of the UN security council to update members on the investigation. EU leaders will also discuss the incident at a summit next week, said the European council president, Donald Tusk.

At the UN in New York on Wednesday night, the UK laid out the case against Russia, describing the nerve agent as “a weapon so horrific it is banned from use in war”.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the US “stands in absolute solidarity” with Great Britain. “The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent. Dozens of civilians and first responders were also exposed,” Haley said.

“If we don’t take immediate concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used. They could be used here in New York, or in cities of any country that sits on this council. This is a defining moment.”

Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian envoy to the UN, told the council: “No scientific research or development under the title novichok were carried out.”

Nebenzia alleged that the Salisbury poisoning was a false-flag attack, possibly by the UK itself, intended to tarnish Russia. “Most probable source of this agent are the countries who have carried out research on these weapons, including Britain,” he said.

 Jeremy Corbyn said any response must be based on clear evidence. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also stressed the need to involve the OPCW, which is based at the Hague, in investigating what he called “an appalling act of violence”. He said: “Nerve agents are abominable if used in any war. It is utterly reckless to use them in a civilian environment.”

May repeatedly underlined the support of international allies, including Donald Trump, and German chancellor Angela Merkel.

But Corbyn’s cautious response found an echo in Paris, with President Emmanuel Macron’s spokesman Benjamin Griveaux saying it was too early for Paris to decide whether action should be taken.

“We don’t do fantasy politics. Once the elements are proven, then the time will come for decisions to be made,” Griveaux told reporters.

Griveaux said France was waiting for “definitive conclusions,” and evidence that the “facts were completely true,” before taking a position.

The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for British citizens planning to go to Russia in the coming months, warning of “the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment”.

“While the British Embassy in Moscow is not aware of any increased difficulties for British people travelling in Russia at this time, you should follow the security and political situation closely and keep up to date with this travel advice.”

A spokesman for the Football Association later said: “The FA will continue to work closely with the UK Government and relevant authorities regarding our participation in this summer’s Fifa World Cup and the Women’s World Cup qualifier in June.”

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has called for a boycott of the tournament, which some fear will allow Russia to burnish its image on the international stage.