Boris Johnson under pressure to explain whether position has changed after tweet blaming Moscow is deleted

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This article is more than 1 year old

Boris Johnson is facing embarrassing questions over his claims that Russia had produced the Salisbury nerve agent after it emerged that the Foreign Office had deleted a tweet blaming Moscow for the attack. | Ellie Mae O’Hagan Read more

With the foreign secretary already under pressure over his remarks two weeks ago that a Porton Down scientist had been “absolutely categorical” that the novichok had originated in the country, Jeremy Corbyn accused Johnson of “completely exceeding the information he had been given” after the emergence of the deleted tweet. He said: “Russia has called this meeting to undermine the work of the OPCW which, fully in accordance with the chemical weapons convention, is providing the UK with technical assistance and evaluation through independent analysis of samples from the Salisbury attack.”

Mr Aitkenhead said on Tuesday that Porton Down had identified the substance used in Salisbury as a military-grade Novichok nerve agent which could probably be deployed only by a nation-state. Speaking yesterday, Gary Aitkenhead said: “We were able to identify it as Novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.”

But he added: “We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to.”

Aitkenhead said that identifying the source would require “other inputs”, explaining: “It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured.”

The apparent contradiction has already been leapt on by Labour. “That includes intelligence, detectives if it’s a police investigation, and the scientists as well, and that’s perfectly understandable.”

Wallace, a close ally of the foreign secretary, defended Johnson for suggesting he had received assurances from government scientists that the nerve agent was categorically made in Russia. About two weeks earlier, however, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted during an interview with Deutsche Welle that Porton Down scientists were "absolutely categorical: when they allegedly assured him that "there’s no doubt" that the chemical came from Russia. I said ‘Are you sure?’ He said ‘There’s no doubt’.”

And on March 22, the Foreign Office issued a tweet saying: “Analysis by world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down made clear that this was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent produced in Russia.”

Ms Abbott said the development raised questions about the Government’s approach, and said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should now be given credit for demanding more evidence before allocating blame. “Porton Down will be able to tell you there are very, very, very few people in the world who, first of all, did design novichok – and that was the Russians – and who have developed and stockpiled it. “What the Foreign Secretary said then, and what Porton Down have said recently, is fully consistent with what we have said throughout. In a series of tweets on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson dismissed Corbyn’s response, writing: “It is lamentable that Jeremy Corbyn is now playing Russia’s game and trying to discredit the UK over Salisbury attack... 28 other countries have been so convinced by UK case they have expelled Russians.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, calls for an investigation into comments by UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Johnson is facing criticisms he overstated the strength of evidence against Russia, an accusation he calls "lamentable" and accuses Corbyn of sympathizing with Russia.