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LIVE: Chemical weapons inspectors arrive at Porton Down, near Salisbury

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All the latest updates as experts continue to examine property belonging to critically ill ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

20:12, UK,Monday 19 March 2018

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Image:Army personnel, police and firemen were at the scene in Durrington where a car Yulia Skripal used was being taken away
Key points

  • Theresa May again says Russia is responsible
  • EU promises 'unqualified solidarity' with UK over Salisbury poisoning
  • Chemical weapons watchdog arrives in Salisbury to take samples
  • Russia calls on UK to provide evidence, 'or apologise'
  • Car used by Yulia Skripal is taken away by police


20:35


The silver pick up is unloaded and examined by personnel in protective masks


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20:22




Merkel says "serious" information points to Russian responsibility

Angela Merkel says there's serious information pointing to Russia's responsibility in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter and the responsibility now lies with Moscow to prove it wasn't involved.

On a visit to Warsaw, the German Chancellor also said she expects European Union leaders to come to "strong conclusions" in the matter at a summit later this week in Brussels.

Mrs Merkel spoke at a news conference alongside Poland's prime minister, who said European leaders must show solidarity.







20:19




OPCW Inspectors start work

Inspectors from the world's chemical weapons watchdog have begun examining the poison used to attack Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, Reuters is reporting.

Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) began running independent tests on samples taken from Salisbury to verify the British analysis, an OPCW source told the news agency.

Britain's Foreign Office has said: "The team from The Hague will meet with officials from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the police to discuss the process for collecting samples, including environmental ones."








20:15




Russia 'regrets' EU foreign ministers comments

Russia's Foreign Ministry has said it regrets comments made by EU foreign ministers.

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels called on Russia to answer questions on the use of a nerve agent and offered London "unqualified solidarity".

"We regret that the European Union ... once again obeyed the misconstrued considerations of 'eurosolidarity' and accumulated anti-Russian reflexes," the Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"This state of affairs, of course, does not honour the common foreign policy of the EU."








18:59




Sergei Skripal and Yulia remain critical but stable

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust says two people, believed to be Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, remain in Salisbury District Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

It adds that the police officer who was part of the initial response and was badly affected at first, Sgt Nick Bailey, is conscious and in a stable condition – but is no longer critical.

Lorna Wilkinson, Director of Nursing at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust said: "In addition to the three inpatients at our hospital, we've been assessing and discharging a number of other people from the community who've had concerns.

"I want to reassure everyone that none of these people have needed treatment."

The trust added that, based on current evidence, Public Health England is advising that the risk to the general public from this substance has not changed and remains low.







18:52




The latest information from the Met Police:

:: Investigation is one of the most complex ever undertaken by UK counter terror police

:: It is expected to take months

:: Around 250 counter terror detectives are working on investigation

:: Other specialist officers in protective gear are searching locations that are found to be most relevant to the ongoing inquiry

:: Officers are trawling through 4,000 hours of CCTV, examining 800 seized exhibits and have taken 400 witness statements








18:03




The inspectors arrive

Sky Sources: Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohbition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have arrived and are on-site at Porton Down







17:04




Car pictured

Authorities have been in Durrington all day to remove this silver pick-up truck which Ross Cassidy, its owner and friend of the Skripals, picked Yulia up in from the airport.








16:56




MoD confirm vehicle removal from Durrington is part of poisoning investigation

Sky News sources said at lunchtime the car Yulia Skripal was picked up in from the airport the day before the attack was being removed from the village 10 miles north of Salisbury.

The MoD has now confirmed the vehicle has been removed and is in connection with the poisoning attack.

A spokeswoman said the military presence at the scene was "part of our ongoing support to help police in the investigation" and services were "removing the vehicle from the area".







16:39




Boris Johnson hits out at repeated Russian "behaviour"

Speaking at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, the foreign secretary said: "We share the view that the poisoning of Sergei Skripal is not an isolated case but the latest in a pattern of reckless behaviour by the Russian state.

"That behaviour goes back many years.

"From Russia's annexation of Crimea to cyber attacks and its involvement in the Syrian war Russia has shown itself to have a blatant disregard for international order, law and our values.

"Those values sit at the heart of NATO and everything we do which is why our NATO allies have such strong and undivided support.

"The North Atlantic Statement issued last week is a clear powerful statement of political support and demonstrates NATO's unity, capability and determination to respond to the challenges we face together.

"We stand united in the face of adversity be it in the response to the attack in Salisbury or the threat to any NATO ally, which is the founding principle of this organisation."








16:14




NATO calls Salisbury attack "reckless" and hits out at Russia for attempting to divide countries.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking in Brussels, said the attack was the first use of a nerve agent on alliance territory.

He said it was a "total disregard for human life" and an unacceptable breach of international laws and rules.

"Russia's response has demonstrated a clear disregard for international peace and security,

"We continue to call on Russia to provide complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the OPCW.

"We welcome the UK's cooperation with the OPCW with this horrendous attack

"The Salisbury attack happened on a background of reckless behaviour and NATO is responding to this pattern of behaviour.

"We have seen the illegal annexation of Crimea, violating the sovereignty.

"We have seen Russia continue to destabilise efforts in eastern Ukraine and Russia continues to interfere in our democratic political processes and undermine our democratic institutions.

"We've seen different types of hybrid tactics including cyber attacks.

"NATO's approach to Russia is firm, defensive and proportionate. We mix strong deterrents and defence with openness to a meaningful dialogue.

"Russia will continue to seek to divide us but NATO allows us to stand united with the UK."










15:24




Putin still denying Russia has anything to do with the Skripals' poisoning

During a call between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin the Russian president said accusations by the UK, backed up by several countries including France, are "unsubstantiated".







14:30




Sweden summons Russian ambassador

Stockholm has summoned the ambassador for talks after Moscow suggested it may have produced the deadly nerve agent Novichok.

Over the weekend Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "The most likely source of this chemical attack are the countries that, since the end of the 1990s -- and currently still -- have been carrying out intense research on the substances from the 'Novichok' programme.

"These countries are Britain, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Sweden. The question should also be raised regarding the United States."

Sweden immediately denied the accusation.







14:27




What Macron said to Putin

The French President has just called Mr Putin to congratulate him on his election victory.

He wished Russia success in its political, democratic, economic and social modernisation.

Mr Macron said he was committed to a "constructive dialogue" between Russia, France and Europe.

He also called on Russian authorities to "shed light on the responsibilities" of the "unacceptable" Salisbury spy poisoning and to "firmly take back control of potential programmes" not declared to the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The French President also expressed his concerns about the situation in Afrin, the northern Syrian town, and in Ghouta near the capital, Damascus.

He called on Russia's "best efforts" to stop the fighting and civilian deaths in those areas.







14:16




Britons in Russia fear worsening relations

British expats living in Russia are preparing for relations to turn sour with their Russian compatriots.

Some, living in Moscow, said the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats in reaction to the poisoning of Mr Skripal, and Russia's subsequent dismissal of British diplomats, has not yet impacted them.

However some said they worry about a potential "trickle-down effect" if political tensions continue to rise.

One, who only wanted to be identified as Mark, said he has become more cautious about speaking English in public and has considered pretending to be Irish.

He said: "I'm not sure I'm important enough or prominent enough on the Kremlin radar to be immediately affected by the current situation, but I'm somewhat worried that if the situation worsens, which I expect it to do, there could be a trickle-down effect that has an impact upon me.

"On a day-to-day level, I have started trying to be more inconspicuous in public - not that I was especially conspicuous before - but I'm having fewer English phone conversations, and holding English book covers down on my lap on the metro."

However another Briton living in Russia said he was not concerned by the Foreign Office's warning of possible anti-British sentiment or harassment.






14:02




Macron steps in

The French President has urged Vladimir Putin to shed light on the "unacceptable" spy attack







14:00




Theresa May reiterates belief Russia is responsible

Speaking during a visit to Birmingham, she said: "I set out clearly in the House of Commons last week why it is that we believe the Russian state is culpable for the incident that took place, for the acts that took place, for the use of this nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury.

"They have the capability. This nerve agent was one from a group of Novichoks that were developed by the Soviets.

"Russia has the capability and I believe the motive and intent and this is part of a pattern of behaviour we see from Russia across Europe.

"This happened in the United Kingdom, it could have happened in another country and our international allies have been strong in their support for us and their recognition that culpability leads to the Russian state."








13:47




Europeans deny making novichok

Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have all denied Moscow's claim they may have produced the deadly nerve agent which poisoned the Skripals.

The Kremlin earlier said: "The most likely source of this chemical attack are the countries that, since the end of the 1990s - and currently still - have been carrying out intense research on the substances from the Novichok programme.

"These countries are Britain, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Sweden. The question should also be raised regarding the United States."

Sweden's foreign minister immediately denied the accusation, calling it "unfounded".

Her Czech counterpart said the claim "can in no way be backed by evidence".

The Slovak foreign ministry said "we definitely rejected" Slovakia could be connected to chemical weapons.







13:40




Emergency vehicles taken away

Mr Cassidy's car is the latest vehicle to be taken away over the past few days.

Emergency vehicles which responded to the incident have been taken for forensic analysis as was Mr Skripal's maroon BMW, which was found in a Sainsbury's car park, just a few yards from the main crime scene.

Sky News understands some of the vehicles have been taken to Porton Down, the MoD's nearby defence lab, for testing.







13:23




Car which Yulia was picked up in being removed

Ross Cassidy, a friend of the Skripals, has told Sky News' Rebecca Williams he picked Yulia Skripal up from the airport the day before she and her father, Sergei Skripal, were poisoned.

Sources said his silver pick-up car is being taken away today from the Durrington site.




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12:57




Military seen in nearby Durrington

Military personnel, firefighters and police are in Larkhill Road in Durrington, a village about 10 miles north of Salisbury.

There are two police tents close to the Autotech Garage, with most of the road cordoned off.

Scotland Yard has not confirmed if the scene is part of the Salisbury investigation.








11:56




Scotland Yard calls for help over Russian businessman murder

Detectives have made a further appeal to anyone with information which could help them with the investigation into the murder of Nikolay Glushkov who was found dead in his home in New Malden last Monday.

They launched a murder investigation on Friday after a post-mortem found the prominent Kremlin critic, who had been given political asylum in Britain, died from compression to the neck.

House-to-house visits are continuing today in and around Clarence Avenue where his home was.

Commander Clarke Jarrett, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The investigation is progressing; we have taken a number of statements and have over 400 exhibits which are being processed.

"We have found no sign of forced entry thus far, but the forensic examination at Mr Glushkov’s home continues and we expect to be there for some time.

“I must stress that there is nothing we have found in our investigation so far to suggest any link to the attempted murders in Salisbury and I would like to reassure the public in New Malden that there are no wider public health concerns in relation to this investigation.”

Following his death police contacted Russian exiles in the UK to discuss their safety.



View image on Twitter

https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk/status/975699817782530048
Metropolitan Police

✔@metpoliceuk


Met Counter Terrorism Command detectives investigating the murder of Russian businessman Nikolay Glushkov in New Malden on Mon 12 Mar want to hear from anybody who saw anything suspicious in the area - call 0800 789 321. http://news.met.police.uk/news/further-appeal-following-new-malden-murder-299053 …

11:45 AM - Mar 19, 2018
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11:30




Theresa May welcomes EU solidarity

The British PM's spokesman said Britain welcomes comments of solidarity over the Salisbury attack.

He said the National Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss what the next steps should be in the tit-for-tat with Russia.

The Prime Minister will wait for an assessment of observation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe before making a comment on the Russian election after Vladimir Putin had a landslide win.







10:39




Merkel comments on Putin's election win

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will congratulate Vladimir Putin on his landslide win soon, a government spokesman said.

However, he added that Germany is "at odds" with Russia on "many issues", but will stay in contact.







10:37




Russia's response designed so nobody could see it as guilty

Kommersant, Russia's leading daily business newspaper, has said that the denials from various Russian politicians over involvement in the Skripals' poisoning, was calibrated to ensure nobody could interpret Russia's reaction as an indirect admission of guilt.







10:14




Police wait for inspectors

Officers waited inside the police cordon in Salisbury this morning for the chemical weapons inspectors








10:11




Chemical weapons inspectors begin work

Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have arrived in Salisbury from The Hague.

They have begun to inspect the site after the UK Government invited them to verify analysis of the nerve agent used in the attack.

Find out what they will be looking for and what they will be doing here.








09:50




Russia calls UK's allegations "groundless"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Britain's allegations that Russia poisoned former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, are "difficult to explain...groundless and slanderous".







09:48




EU calls on Russia to answer questions about attack and Novichok

The EU has called on Russia to "address urgently the questions raised by the UK and the international community and to provide immediate, full and complete disclosure of its Novichok programme to the OPCW".

It added that the EU expresses its "unqualified solidarity with the UK and its support, including for the UK’s efforts to bring those responsible for this crime to justice".







09:45




EU condemns 'reckless' Salisbury attack and supports UK's accusation of Russia

A statement from the EU Council - consisting of the EU's 28 foreign minister - called the attack on the Skripals "reckless and illegal".

It said "the lives of many citizens were threatened".

The statement added: "The European Union takes extremely seriously the UK Government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible.

"The European Union is shocked at the offensive use of any military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, for the first time on European soil in over 70 years.

"The use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances is completely unacceptable and constitutes a security threat to us all."







09:34




Kremlin asks for UK to provide evidence

A Russian government spokesman has said Britain will have to provide evidence "sooner or later or apologise".







09:22




Hints at more sanctions against Russia

Earlier, David Lidington hinted the UK was considering further measures against Russia following the Salisbury poisoning.

The de facto deputy Prime Minister said ahead of a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday that it would "consider as appropriate what other action might be necessary and might be effective".







09:16




Germany denies Putin win was under a 'fair political contest'

The German foreign minister has warned Russia will remain a "difficult partner" following President Vladimir Putin's re-election on Sunday.

They added it would still be needed to help resolve international problems, adding that the ballot could not be called a "fair political contest".








08:54


VIDEO: Boris Johnson's strong words on Russia




Sky News

✔@SkyNews


Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has strong words for Russia ahead of a EU foreign affairs council meeting

8:49 AM - Mar 19, 2018
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08:47




Putin using a 'classic Russian strategy to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies'

This is what the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had to say when he arrived in Brussels on Monday morning.

"I've been very heartened already by the strength of the support that the UK is getting in respect of the incident in Salisbury.

I think that is partly because they can see Britain is acting in punctilious accordance with our obligations under the Treaty on Chemical Weapons.

I would contrast that with how the Russians are behaving.

Today, the technical experts from the OPCW are arriving in the UK to take samples from Salisbury and in the meantime the Russian denials grow increasingly absurd.

At one time they say they never make Novichok, at other times they say they did make Novichok but all the stocks have been destroyed and then again they say that they made Novichok and all the stocks have been destroyed but some of them have mysteriously escaped to Sweden, the Czech republic or Slovakia, or the US - or the UK.

I think what people can see is that this is a classic Russian strategy of trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation.

What really strikes me, talking to European friends and partners today, is that 12 years after the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London, they're not fooling anybody anymore.

There is scarcely a country round the table here in Brussels, that has not been affected by some kind of malign of disruptive Russian behaviour. That is why I think the strength and resolve of our European friends is so striking today."







08:37


Johnson's first words in Brussels: 'Russia aren't fooling anyone'

https://twitter.com/skynewsmichelle/status/975652092475035648
Michelle Clifford

✔@skynewsmichelle


Boris Johnson says the Russians aren’t fooling anyone anymore on #salisbury attack as he arrives to brief EU ministers about progress in investigation. Expectations of joint EU statement this morning

8:36 AM - Mar 19, 2018
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08:34




De facto deputy PM slams 'appalling chemical weapons attack'

David Lidington, cabinet office minister and de facto deputy prime minister, has been speaking to Sky News Sunrise.

He says: "I don't think there's any question marks save those that are posed by the Russian regime themselves and their supporters.

"There's been a very thorough investigation here. We've said from the start that we're going to share findings with the OPCW and invite them to carry out tests in their accredited laboratories as well, if that is what they want to do.

"We have been the subject in Britain of a chemical weapons attack that's left two people critically ill in hospital and left a police officer who went to their aid seriously ill and put many, many other innocent civilians at risk.

"It is an absolutely appalling aggressive, unjustifiable act, and that's why I think the Government's been right to take the measured but very firm and proportionate response that we announced last week."







08:25




Key points

  • Theresa May again says Russia is responsible
  • EU promises 'unqualified solidarity' with UK over Salisbury poisoning
  • Chemical weapons watchdog arrives in Salisbury to take samples
  • Russia calls on UK to provide evidence, 'or apologise'
  • Car used by Yulia Skripal is taken away by police







08:21




Good morning

Welcome to Sky's liveblog with all the latest updates on the Salisbury poisoning.
 
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I've been waiting for them to arrive and perform their inspections. Verification from an independent, international body should put a sock on the Ruskis' mouths
 
. . . .
Don't matter what the outcome is. What has happened has happened.
 
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