British government marks Skripal anniversary but refuses to release Russia report
The British political establishment has marked the two-year anniversary of the alleged poisoning of the Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, with little fanfare.
Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer who betrayed his country at the behest of Britain’s MI6, was allegedly poisoned, alongside his daughter Yulia, with the Novichok nerve agent.
The alleged attack took place in the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury on March 04, 2018. Both Skripal and his daughter survived the alleged attack.
In a low-key tweet, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, marked the anniversary without pointing any fingers at Russia or even reiterating the claim that Russian foreign military intelligence, the GRU, had carried out the attack.
Today, two years on from the chemical attack in Salisbury, my thoughts remain with all those impacted. It is heartening to see the historic city welcoming visitors and looking to the future, thanks to the strength and character of the community.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 4, 2020
By stark contrast, foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, published an aggressive tweet accusing Russia of using “banned chemical weapons” in Salisbury.
2 years ago today the Russian state used banned chemical weapons in Salisbury. Thanks to the determination of its residents, Salisbury is flourishing again. We’ve shown we won’t be cowed by such barbaric attacks & are leading efforts to expose the malign activity of Russia’s GRU
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) March 4, 2020
The stark difference in the tone and content of the tweets has prompted leading British journalists and analysts to wonder if there is a rift within the government on this issue.
Here we go: UK’s Foreign Secretary clearly calls out Russia over the Salisbury spy attack (two years ago today) after @BorisJohnson’s anniversary tweet omitted to mention that detail https://t.co/Hz9E8RN485
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) March 4, 2020
The British establishment’s remembrance of the alleged Salisbury attack comes against the backdrop of the government’s continuing refusal to release a suppressed report on Russia’s alleged interference in the British political system.
The report was compiled by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, drawing on evidence and secret material from the UK’s three core intelligence services, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
The report was finalized in March 2019 but for unknown reasons the government continues to refuse to release it to the public.
There has been widespread speculation the report contains embarrassing information on the Tory party’s links to rich Russian businessmen and oligarchs.
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