Top Tory says relations with Russia are ‘about as bad as they could get’ without Britain being at WAR with Vladimir Putin
THE UK’s relationship with Vladimir Putin’s Russia is as ‘bad as it could get during peace time’, according to a top Tory MP.
Following the revelation that a former British spy allegedly penned the discredited ‘dirty dossier’ on Donald Trump’s ties with Russia, Crispin Blunt has slammed the “shouting match” between the two nations.
His comments came after the Russian embassy in London’s explosive tweet about the scandal which implied that MI6 was connected to the dossier.
The post read: “Christopher Steele story: MI6 officers are never ex: briefing both ways - against Russia and US President.”
The document contained sensational and unverified allegations against President-elect Trump relating to an unspecified stay at a Moscow hotel.
Tory MP Blunt, an ex-army officer and foreign affairs select committee chair, is conducting a government investigation into the Kremlin.
They said: “We have obvious questions.
“We don't raise them with HM Government given the frozen state of our official relationship.
“The tweet reflects the mood in Russia and speaks for itself.”
Former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson of Port Ellen warned against Britain “sleepwalking into a potential calamity”.
Speaking in the House of Lords, he said: “We must be aware of and act on the dangers inherent in the present confrontation between Russia and the West.
“Without the trip wires and warning arrangements of the Cold War we are in grave danger of making a mistake or a miscalculation with potentially catastrophic results.”
He added: “We have a crisis of optimism - hoping for the best and failing to prepare for the worst.”
After BuzzFeed released the discredited dossier in full, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded the document "pulp fiction".
He said: "The Kremlin does not have compromising information on Trump.
"It is an attempt to damage our bilateral relations, it is pulp fiction.
"You have to react to this with a certain humour, but there's also a sad side to this. Hysteria is being whipped up to maintain a political witch hunt."
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