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| Tories attack Juncker’s ‘nauseating’ letter congratulating Putin | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The leader of the Conservative party in the European parliament has described a letter of congratulation from Jean-Claude Juncker to Vladimir Putin on his re-election as Russian president as disgraceful. | |
| Speaking as Russian diplomats expelled from the UK boarded a plane to Moscow with their families, the MEP Ashley Fox hit out at the European commission president for failing to mention the Salisbury nerve agent attack against “innocent people in my constituency”, and called his memo to Putin “nauseating”. | |
| Even as Donald Trump issued similar congratulations, others on social media hit out at Juncker’s message to Putin, after the EU had promised to support the UK amid heightened tensions following the attack. | Even as Donald Trump issued similar congratulations, others on social media hit out at Juncker’s message to Putin, after the EU had promised to support the UK amid heightened tensions following the attack. |
| EU officials raised concerns about the tone taken by Juncker, with one source stressing that the European council president, Donald Tusk, had “not sent such a letter until now and I would not be surprised if he did not send one at all”. | EU officials raised concerns about the tone taken by Juncker, with one source stressing that the European council president, Donald Tusk, had “not sent such a letter until now and I would not be surprised if he did not send one at all”. |
| Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister who leads the Liberal group in the European parliament, tweeted: | Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister who leads the Liberal group in the European parliament, tweeted: |
| This is no time for congratulations. We will always need dialogue with Russia, but closer ties must be conditional on respect for the rules based international order & fundamental values https://t.co/iVfhLB6TrL | This is no time for congratulations. We will always need dialogue with Russia, but closer ties must be conditional on respect for the rules based international order & fundamental values https://t.co/iVfhLB6TrL |
| Speaking at the White House, Trump confirmed he had called Putin to “congratulate him on his electoral victory”. Trump and Putin did not discuss the poisoning in Salisbury of the former double agent Sergei Skripal, the Kremlin told the Interfax news agency. | Speaking at the White House, Trump confirmed he had called Putin to “congratulate him on his electoral victory”. Trump and Putin did not discuss the poisoning in Salisbury of the former double agent Sergei Skripal, the Kremlin told the Interfax news agency. |
| Other western leaders have called Putin following the victory, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. But both avoided explicitly using the word “congratulate”. Instead both “wished success” to Putin for his new six-year term in office. | Other western leaders have called Putin following the victory, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. But both avoided explicitly using the word “congratulate”. Instead both “wished success” to Putin for his new six-year term in office. |
| Juncker in his letter offered his congratulations and wished the Russian leader “every success in carrying out your high responsibilities”. | Juncker in his letter offered his congratulations and wished the Russian leader “every success in carrying out your high responsibilities”. |
| The message, which the commission president made public in a tweet, added: “I have always argued that positive relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation are crucial to the security of our continent. Our common objective should be to re-establish a cooperative pan-European security order. | The message, which the commission president made public in a tweet, added: “I have always argued that positive relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation are crucial to the security of our continent. Our common objective should be to re-establish a cooperative pan-European security order. |
| “I hope that you will use your fourth term in office to pursue this goal. I will always be a partner in this endeavour.” | “I hope that you will use your fourth term in office to pursue this goal. I will always be a partner in this endeavour.” |
| Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, said Russia had to be held responsible for the attack but added: “There has to be an absolutely definitive answer to the question: where did the nerve agent come from?” | |
| Speaking to the BBC, he said that it was important to deal with Russia where necessary. “Would I do business with Putin? Sure,” he said. “And I’d challenge him on human rights in Russia, challenge him on these issues and challenge him on that whole basis of that relationship.” | |
| Fox, who is the Tory leader in the European parliament and MEP for South West England & Gibraltar, questioned Juncker’s failure to raise criticism of the election process and the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, for which Theresa May has pointed the finger at the Putin administration. | |
| “To congratulate Vladimir Putin on his election victory without referring to the clear ballot-rigging that took place is bad enough. But his failure to mention Russia’s responsibility for a military nerve agent attack on innocent people in my constituency is nauseating,” said Fox. | “To congratulate Vladimir Putin on his election victory without referring to the clear ballot-rigging that took place is bad enough. But his failure to mention Russia’s responsibility for a military nerve agent attack on innocent people in my constituency is nauseating,” said Fox. |
| “The European commission president is appeasing a man who poses a clear threat to western security.” | “The European commission president is appeasing a man who poses a clear threat to western security.” |
| The MEP tweeted: | The MEP tweeted: |
| How nauseating: https://t.co/CWnFqZXiiQ | How nauseating: https://t.co/CWnFqZXiiQ |
| Another senior Tory, Sarah Wollaston, who chairs parliament’s health and liaison committees, said: | Another senior Tory, Sarah Wollaston, who chairs parliament’s health and liaison committees, said: |
| Shameful https://t.co/OaPQadr1QE | Shameful https://t.co/OaPQadr1QE |
| Britain has turned to the EU for support over Salisbury. While additional sanctions against Russia are not on the agenda of the leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday, an official said the focus would be on attribution of the attack and solidarity. | |
| Tusk was said by an EU official to be sympathetic to Downing Street’s analysis and approach. | Tusk was said by an EU official to be sympathetic to Downing Street’s analysis and approach. |
| May chaired a session of the national security council on Tuesday at which ministers discussed strict new checks by border officials on private flights. | May chaired a session of the national security council on Tuesday at which ministers discussed strict new checks by border officials on private flights. |
| The move is part of a series of actions agreed at a previous session after the Salisbury attack, which are focused on tracking people entering the country who could pose a threat to national security. | The move is part of a series of actions agreed at a previous session after the Salisbury attack, which are focused on tracking people entering the country who could pose a threat to national security. |
| “Action has also been taken at the UK’s border to enhance our efforts to monitor and track the intentions of those travelling to the UK who could be engaged in activity that threatens the security of the UK and of our allies,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. “This includes strict checks by border officials on private flights.” | “Action has also been taken at the UK’s border to enhance our efforts to monitor and track the intentions of those travelling to the UK who could be engaged in activity that threatens the security of the UK and of our allies,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. “This includes strict checks by border officials on private flights.” |
| Meanwhile, Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism chief, Neil Basu, insisted he was confident that the culprits of the Skripal attack would be found, but said the inquiry would be prolonged. | |
| Asked if the focus was on Skripal’s BMW, following speculation that it may have been sabotaged, Basu said: “Our focus is on the movements of the Skripals; we are open-minded and will follow that evidence wherever it takes us.” | Asked if the focus was on Skripal’s BMW, following speculation that it may have been sabotaged, Basu said: “Our focus is on the movements of the Skripals; we are open-minded and will follow that evidence wherever it takes us.” |
| Amid warnings that the investigation could last until the summer, police moved steel barriers into place behind the Mill pub, one of the places that the Skripals visited before they fell ill. | Amid warnings that the investigation could last until the summer, police moved steel barriers into place behind the Mill pub, one of the places that the Skripals visited before they fell ill. |
| Within the next few days Public Health England is expected to update its advice to people who were in the Mill and the Zizzi restaurant that the Skripals visited on 4 March. | |
| The authorities have contacted 131 people who could have been exposed to the nerve agent that has left the Skripals in a critical condition. | The authorities have contacted 131 people who could have been exposed to the nerve agent that has left the Skripals in a critical condition. |
| A woman who was in the Zizzi restaurant with her boyfriend and newborn baby a few hours after the Skripals were taken ill has said she was surprised it took nearly two weeks for her to be approached by police. | A woman who was in the Zizzi restaurant with her boyfriend and newborn baby a few hours after the Skripals were taken ill has said she was surprised it took nearly two weeks for her to be approached by police. |
| She said: “We were spoken to on the 15th, which was 11 days later. Responding to people’s worries and getting information out there was really crap, really slow. | She said: “We were spoken to on the 15th, which was 11 days later. Responding to people’s worries and getting information out there was really crap, really slow. |
| “I was told [by police] that we should have no worries about our health, as if we were affected we would have seen something by now. I was really worried because I have a small baby.” | “I was told [by police] that we should have no worries about our health, as if we were affected we would have seen something by now. I was really worried because I have a small baby.” |
| Additional reporting: Steven Morris and Caroline Bannock | Additional reporting: Steven Morris and Caroline Bannock |
| Vladimir Putin | Vladimir Putin |
| Jean-Claude Juncker | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Sergei Skripal | Sergei Skripal |
| European Union | European Union |
| Europe | Europe |
| Russia | Russia |
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