UK expels 23 Russian diplomats over nerve agent attack
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that 23 Russian diplomats are to be expelled following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.
She told the House of Commons that all high-level planned bilateral meetings with Russian are suspended and no member of the Royal family will travel to Russia for the forthcoming football World Cup.
This includes the revocation of an invitation for foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to visit the UK and "there will be no attendance by ministers or indeed members of the Royal Family at this summer's World Cup in Russia."
She said the Russian state is culpable for the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
Mrs May said Russia offered no explanation for having an undeclared chemical weapons programme in contravention of international law.
She said the British government would "urgently develop proposals" for new legislative powers to "harden our defences against all forms of hostile state activity".
"This will include the addition of a targeted power to detain those suspected of hostile state activity at the UK border.
"This power is currently only permitted in relation to those suspected of terrorism."
The PM has also asked Home Secretary Amber Rudd to consider whether there is a need for new counter-espionage powers to "clamp down on the full spectrum of hostile activities of foreign agents in our country".
Mrs May said the Salisbury incident was an "unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the UK".
She told MPs the National Security Council had agreed "immediate actions to dismantle the Russian espionage network in the UK".
There would be "urgent work to develop new powers to tackle all forms of hostile state activity and to ensure that those seeking to carry out such activity cannot enter the UK".
In a statement the Russian Embassy said: "On March 14 Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he was informed that 23 diplomats were declared personae non gratae.
"We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted.
"All the responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-UK relationship lies with the current political leadership of Britain."
The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matvienko, said Moscow should react to Britain's actions in a fast, tough and reciprocal way.
Mr Matvienko also described British actions towards Russia as a provocation.
This afternoon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union would present a common stance over the nerve agent attack.
"We take the findings of the British government very seriously ... We will present a common European view here," Ms Merkel told German broadcaster ARD, noting that European leaders would meet next week.
"Nonetheless, I say we can't break off all contacts now. We must still talk with the Russians despite all differences of opinion," she added.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is due to be briefed on the investigation into the incident, United Nations diplomats and the Foreign Office said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said today the use of a nerve agent in an attack on a former Russian spy was "unacceptable."
A UN spokesman said: "The use of nerve agents as a weapon under any circumstances is unacceptable and its use by a state would constitute a serious violation of international law."
The UK has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russia has said that it is in no way connected to the poisoning in Salisbury earlier this month.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the accusations against Russia are groundless.
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