Salisbury: Let's not have verdict first , evidence second.

The fact that Russians maybe the Number One suspect in the attack by the use of a  nerve agent to  attack the former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, does  not mean they are  automatically guilty.

So I find  the attacks by not only the Tories but members of his own party extraordinary



Speaking after Theresa May announced the biggest expulsion of Russian spies in 30 years, Mr Corbyn said the UK response must be "decisive and proportionate and based on clear evidence".

He also tore into Government cuts to the diplomatic service, which he singled out as a reason for undermining the UK's influence abroad.
Mr Corbyn said: 

"If the government believes it is still a possibility that Russia negligently lost control of a military-grade nerve agent, what action is being taken through the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) with our allies?"
To cries from all sides, he urged a "robust dialogue" with Russia, demanding: "How has she responded to the Russian Government's request for a sample of the agent used in Salisbury attack to run its own tests?
"Has high-resolution trace analysis been run on a sample of the nerve agent and has that revealed any evidence as to the location of its production or the identity of its perpetrators?
"And can the Prime Minister update the House on what conversations, if any, she has had with the Russian Government?"

The Labour Leader took aim at Government cuts to the diplomatic service, which he said had been hollowed out in recent years.
He said: 

“It is as we on these benches have expressed before, a matter of huge regret that our country’s diplomatic capacity has been stripped back with cuts of 25 per cent in the last five years.
"It is is moments such as these that Governments realise how vital strong diplomacy and political pressure are for our security and national interest."
Aiming criticism at Boris Johnson, who was visibly angered by Mr Corbyn's comment, he said: "I couldn't understand a word of what the Foreign Secretary just said, Mr Speaker, but his behaviour demeans his office."

Ms May hit back, saying it is "not a question of our diplomacy... this is the question of the culpability of the Russian state for an act on our soil."

You don't have to agree with Jeremy Corbyn  or Craig Murray's speculation o think that the automatic guilty verdict on Russia  is not diplomatic.


And Yes there will may madcap conspiracy theories to follow even if we have alear evidence to follow.

Both our Government and security services record has not led me to believe in their evidence and like Jeremy Corbyn,  I would hope that before giving the verdict .

The attacks on Corbyn for questioning this, seems to be more about the political structure of the House of Commons, with those in his own party , joining in such as Stephen Kinnock , Chris Bryant and Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith, being just then people who have opposed his leadership from the start.


Prime Minister Mrs May and he Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson and his extrodianry  commentary that Russia should just “go away and shut up. could well be right about Russia's guilt but like Jeremy Cotbyn  we should not rush to assume that they are right or that they have considered all the evidence.