Corbyn said the Foreign Secretary had exaggerated (Picture: Reuters/Twitter)

Boris Johnson has accused Jeremy Corbyn of ‘siding with the Russian spin machine’ after he accused him of exaggerating.

The Foreign Secretary has been criticised after he claimed MoD scientists had conclusively determined the nerve agent used to poison former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia came from Russia.

The head of Porton Down laboratories has since said that they could only determine the substance used was Novichok, and not where it came from. He said it was for government intelligence to determine who used it.

In an interview on March 20 when he was asked why the UK believed that Russia was the source, Mr Johnson said: ‘The people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked them that myself. I said ‘Are you sure?’. He said ‘There’s no doubt’.’


It is lamentable that Jeremy Corbyn is now playing Russia’s game and trying to discredit the UK over Salisbury attack.

Let’s remember the key facts: — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018

1) Porton Down identified nerve agent as military grade Novichok; 2) Russia has investigated delivering nerve agents,likely for assassination,& as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks; 3) Russia has motive for targeting Sergei Skripal. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018

28 other countries have been so convinced by UK case they have expelled Russians. In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn chooses to side with the Russian spin machine. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018

During a local election campaign visit to Watford, Mr Corbyn said: ‘He claimed categorically – and I think he used the words 101% – that it had come from Russia. Porton Down have not said that, they said that they’ve identified it as Novichok, they cannot identify the source of it.



‘Either the Foreign Secretary has information that he’s not sharing with Porton Down or it was a bit of exaggeration. I don’t know which it is, but I think we need a responsible, cool approach to this.’

Our experts have precisely identified the nerve agent as a Novichok. It is not, and has never been, our responsibility to confirm the source of the agent @skynews @UKmoments — Dstl (@dstlmod) April 3, 2018

The Foreign Secretary hit back at Mr Corbyn over the row and accused him of ‘playing Russia’s game’.

In a series of tweets, Mr Johnson said: ‘It is lamentable that Jeremy Corbyn is now playing Russia’s game and trying to discredit the UK over Salisbury attack. Let’s remember the key facts:

‘1) Porton Down identified nerve agent as military grade Novichok; 2) Russia has investigated delivering nerve agents, likely for assassination, & as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks; 3) Russia has motive for targeting Sergei Skripal.

’28 other countries have been so convinced by UK case they have expelled Russians. In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn chooses to side with the Russian spin machine.’

FCO tweet deleted. Porton Down do not say 'produced in Russia'. Assume Foreign Secretary wishes his interview with same claims could also be deleted. https://t.co/lDioScLzz8 — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) April 4, 2018

At the height of the #Salisbury incident the atmosphere in Parliament was oppressive, yet @JeremyCorbyn still asked the pertinent questions. I backed his leadership on the issue and his determination to follow the evidence. pic.twitter.com/mkHkEqAw1y — Dan Carden MP (@DanCardenMP) April 4, 2018

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said Mr Johnson seems to have ‘misled the public’ and claimed he has shown repeatedly that he is unable to represent the country ‘responsibly’.

Meanwhile, a message stating that Porton Down had established that the Novichok nerve agent came from Russia was deleted from the Foreign Office Twitter feed.

The tweet, issued on March 22, said: ‘Analysis by world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down made clear that this was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent produced in Russia.’

Explaining the deletion of the tweet, a Foreign Office spokesman said it had been an inaccurate summary of comments made by the UK’s ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow, at a briefing in Moscow.

Referring to Dr Bristow as ‘HMA’ – Her Majesty’s Ambassador – the spokesman said: ‘An HMA Moscow briefing on 22 March was tweeted in real time by @UKinRussia and amplified by @foreignoffice, to explain what happened in Salisbury to as wide an audience as possible. One of the tweets was truncated and did not accurately report our ambassador’s words. We have removed this tweet.’