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Pressure on Russia is growing as the UK’s most powerful allies one-by-one pledged their support for the government in condemning the “attempted murder” of former double agent Sergei Skripal.

As the Prime Minister prepared to visit Salisbury, the scene of the March 4 attack, the White House announced it "stands in solidarity" with Britain and agrees that Russia was responsible.

The US joined Canada, Australia, Germany, France – as well as the European Union and Nato – in supporting the UK.

It came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for "all responsible nations" to stand up in the face of Russian aggression threatening “the very architecture of global security".

Meanwhile the Kremlin made it clear it was preparing to hit back at sanctions and the biggest expulsion of its embassy staff since the Cold War, with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs branding Mrs May's speech on Wednesday as "an unprecedentedly crude provocation".

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