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Conservative MP Anna Soubry was caught on camera performing a “rowing” motion as John McDonnell sought to clarify Labour’s position on Russia during a TV interview.

The Shadow Chancellor told ITV’s Robert Peston that Jeremy Corbyn’s warning “not to rush ahead of the evidence” over the nerve agent attack in Salisbury had been “misread” and that the Labour leader agreed with Theresa May that Russia was responsible for the attack.

But Ms Soubry, who was also appearing on Peston on Sunday, was shown performing the “rowing” movement with her arms as she appeared to suggest that Mr McDonnell was backtracking on Labour’s stance on Russia earlier this week.

Mr Corbyn's warning not to "rush ahead of the evidence" over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter received a lukewarm response from a number of his backbenchers who signed a motion which "unequivocally" accepted the Russian state's "culpability".

But speaking during the ITV interview, Mr McDonnell said: "The Prime Minister is right, whatever they say Russia's to blame so now we've got to build, exactly as she is doing the international coalition that takes effective action."

He added: "There's a pattern of people being murdered here, therefore it leads you to the conclusion that [Vladimir] Putin has questions to answer because this is highly likely this could have been a state execution."

Mr McDonnell, reacting to reports of Labour divisions over Mr Corbyn's response to Russia, said the Labour leader had given a "constructive critique" and others "had misread that".

He said: "It's the role of a responsible opposition to ensure that they have an honest critique of the Government and what they're doing.

"Support them when they're right, that's what Jeremy did, he said I support and condemn these actions, supported the Prime Minister on her conclusions."

He added: "It is a constructive critique, I think others have misread that."

Tory backbencher Ms Soubry later in the programme accused Mr McDonnell of being "dangerous".

She told Peston: "I take the view he is one of the most dangerous people in British politics and I would say that to his face."