Russian ambassador suggests BRITAIN was behind poisoning of Sergei Skripal – saying UK had stocks of nerve agent in government lab

THE RUSSIAN ambassador today accused Britain of being the source of the nerve agent used to poison an ex-spy in Salisbury.

Alexander Yakovenko said it was "highly likely" that UK scientists had a supply of novichok.

He also pointed out that the Porton Down lab is just a few miles from Salisbury - suggesting the UK could have been behind the attempted hit on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

But he insisted English fans will be safe at the World Cup during a press conference in London.

His comments came as Britain's allies suggested they would join us in kicking out Russian diplomats in the wake of the atrocity.

And Theresa May called for international action against the Putin regime, saying in Brussels: "It's clear that the Russian threat does not respect borders.

"The incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbours, from the Western Balkans to the Middle East."

The ambassador laid out his conspiracy theory as he again denied that Vladimir Putin was responsible for the attack.

Mr Yakovenko said experts from the chemical weapons watchdog "need to check how that was possible that the British authorities managed to designate the nerve agent used as so-called novichok and its origin so quickly".

He added: "Could it mean that it is highly likely that the British authorities already had this nerve agent in their chemical laboratory in Porton Down, which is the largest secret military facility in the UK that has been dealing with chemical weapons?

"Is it a coincidence that this chemical weapons facility is only eight miles away from the site of the incident? How did doctors decide what antidotes to administer to the victims?"

Mr Yakovenko said Russia was unable to prove its innocence because Britain had not provided enough information about the attack.

He added: "Britain has, without any evidence, blamed Russia of poisoning of three people and continues to refuse to cooperate. We cannot accept that."

Asked about the World Cup being hosted by Russia this summer, the ambassador replied: "We are going to host about 20,000 or maybe 30,000 [Brits] - people are buying tickets, they will go to Russia.

"Visa-free regime, new facilities, fascinating hotels, so we're hosting all these people... We will be happy to welcome everybody."

Earlier today, the Kremlin hit back at Boris Johnson for comparing Putin's hosting of the World Cup to the 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany.

This week 23 of Mr Yakovenko's staff - believed to be undercover spies - were forced to leave Britain in revenge for the Salisbury attack.

Lithuania’s president Dalia Grybauskaite today said she was considering expelling Russian diplomats from her countries in a symbol of solidarity with Britain.

Mrs May is meeting other European leaders in Brussels where she will ask them to join the UK in hitting back against Putin.

The British Government says the novichok used to poison Mr Skripal and his daughter was made in Russia and must have been deployed by the country's government.