In the run up to this week’s EU summit in Brussels British officials went to huge public lengths to downplay expectations of a strong and decisive European response to the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

It was nothing compared with the private lengths they went to.

Mark Sedwill, Theresa May’s national security adviser, worked behind the scenes of the summit briefing individual member states on the latest British intelligence.

Meanwhile Mrs May held a trilateral meeting with French and German leaders before the formal discussion on Russia to co-ordinate a joint approach.

Ahead of the meeting there was concern in London that the Greeks and Italians could veto any joint EU statement attributing blame for the attack on Russia.

So instead the behind-the-scenes diplomatic