Russia’s EU ambassador suggests UK lab could be source of nerve agent used to poison ex-spy

Russia’s ambassador to the EU has suggested a UK laboratory could have been the source of the chemical agent used to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, Vladimir Chizhov said Russia had “no stockpiles whatever” of chemical weapons.

A diplomatic crisis has erupted between the UK and Russia after Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury on 4 March. Theresa May has said Salisbury defence lab Porton Down has found that the nerve agent used was part of a group developed by Russia.

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Chizhov said he did not know whether Porton Down was responsible for the attack.

“When you have a nerve agent or whatever, you check it against certain samples that you retain in your laboratories,” he said.

“And Porton Down, as we now all know, is the largest military facility in the United Kingdom that has been dealing with chemical weapons research.

“And it’s actually only eight miles from Salisbury.”