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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/04/uk-urged-to-counter-disinformation-from-russia-over-novichok
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| UK urged to counter 'disinformation' from Russia over novichok | UK urged to counter 'disinformation' from Russia over novichok |
| (5 months later) | |
| A leading chemical weapons expert has called on the UK government to give more details of why it is sure Moscow was behind the Salisbury attack after the head of the Porton Down defence research laboratory said it had not established the nerve agent that poisoned Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made in Russia. | A leading chemical weapons expert has called on the UK government to give more details of why it is sure Moscow was behind the Salisbury attack after the head of the Porton Down defence research laboratory said it had not established the nerve agent that poisoned Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made in Russia. |
| Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who was a commander of the now disbanded Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, said the lack of detail from the British government was allowing Russia to win its “disinformation” campaign about the attack on the former Russian spy and his daughter. | Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who was a commander of the now disbanded Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, said the lack of detail from the British government was allowing Russia to win its “disinformation” campaign about the attack on the former Russian spy and his daughter. |
| De Bretton-Gordon told the Guardian: “Having seen a lot of various intelligence sources I feel 100% confident that the prime minister is correct that the Russians are guilty. The Russians do appear to be on the front foot with communications and their disinformation campaign is putting the UK on the back foot.” | De Bretton-Gordon told the Guardian: “Having seen a lot of various intelligence sources I feel 100% confident that the prime minister is correct that the Russians are guilty. The Russians do appear to be on the front foot with communications and their disinformation campaign is putting the UK on the back foot.” |
| He accepted that it was difficult for sensitive information to be given out without the danger of betraying sources, but said the British government had to find a way of explaining more effectively how it had reached its conclusion that Russia was to blame. | He accepted that it was difficult for sensitive information to be given out without the danger of betraying sources, but said the British government had to find a way of explaining more effectively how it had reached its conclusion that Russia was to blame. |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, De Bretton-Gordon said the government needed to “throw some more evidence in that is compelling that does not betray sources because we need to get on the front foot”. | Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, De Bretton-Gordon said the government needed to “throw some more evidence in that is compelling that does not betray sources because we need to get on the front foot”. |
| On Tuesday in a round of television interviews, Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, said the poison had been identified as a military-grade novichok nerve agent, which could probably be deployed only by a nation state. | On Tuesday in a round of television interviews, Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, said the poison had been identified as a military-grade novichok nerve agent, which could probably be deployed only by a nation state. |
| Aitkenhead said the government had reached its conclusion that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack by combining the laboratory’s scientific findings with information from other sources. | Aitkenhead said the government had reached its conclusion that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack by combining the laboratory’s scientific findings with information from other sources. |
| The comments came hours before an extraordinary meeting in The Hague on Wednesday of the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), called by Russia. | The comments came hours before an extraordinary meeting in The Hague on Wednesday of the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), called by Russia. |
| The UK government moved quickly to make it clear that the prime minister, Theresa May, had always been clear the assessment from Porton Down was “only one part of the intelligence picture”. | The UK government moved quickly to make it clear that the prime minister, Theresa May, had always been clear the assessment from Porton Down was “only one part of the intelligence picture”. |
| However, the government’s position is being undermined by an interview the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, gave to Deutsche Welle, Germany’s public international broadcaster. | However, the government’s position is being undermined by an interview the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, gave to Deutsche Welle, Germany’s public international broadcaster. |
| Johnson has caused a string of diplomatic incidents with his words and actions | Johnson has caused a string of diplomatic incidents with his words and actions |
| Visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar's former capital Yangon, Johnson starts reciting Rudyard Kipling's colonial-era poem The Road to Mandalay. UK ambassador Andrew Patrick steps in and stops him. The poem includes a reference to the Buddha as a “Bloomin’ idol made o’ mud/ Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd” | Visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar's former capital Yangon, Johnson starts reciting Rudyard Kipling's colonial-era poem The Road to Mandalay. UK ambassador Andrew Patrick steps in and stops him. The poem includes a reference to the Buddha as a “Bloomin’ idol made o’ mud/ Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd” |
| At a Conservative conference fringe event Johnson draws gasps saying: “There’s a group of UK business people who want to invest in Sirte, on the coast, near where Gaddafi was captured and executed. They literally have a brilliant vision to turn Sirte into the next Dubai. The only thing they’ve got to do is clear the dead bodies away." | At a Conservative conference fringe event Johnson draws gasps saying: “There’s a group of UK business people who want to invest in Sirte, on the coast, near where Gaddafi was captured and executed. They literally have a brilliant vision to turn Sirte into the next Dubai. The only thing they’ve got to do is clear the dead bodies away." |
| Tory colleague Heidi Allen says the remarks are "100% unacceptable from anyone, let alone the foreign secretary”. A senior Downing Street source says: “We did not feel it was an appropriate choice of words.” | Tory colleague Heidi Allen says the remarks are "100% unacceptable from anyone, let alone the foreign secretary”. A senior Downing Street source says: “We did not feel it was an appropriate choice of words.” |
| "When I look at what Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism, as I understand it" the foreign secretary tells the foreign affairs committee. | "When I look at what Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism, as I understand it" the foreign secretary tells the foreign affairs committee. |
| He is later forced to apologise in parliament, accepting that the British government believes, as Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family assert, that the sole purpose of her visit to Iran was for a holiday. | He is later forced to apologise in parliament, accepting that the British government believes, as Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family assert, that the sole purpose of her visit to Iran was for a holiday. |
| Despite a subsequent visit to Tehran by Johnson, Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains in prison, serving a five-year sentence. | Despite a subsequent visit to Tehran by Johnson, Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains in prison, serving a five-year sentence. |
| While applying pressure over Brexit arrangements, a leaked document reveals Johnson had suggested the government’s task is not to maintain “no border” in Ireland, but to prevent it from “becoming significantly harder”. | While applying pressure over Brexit arrangements, a leaked document reveals Johnson had suggested the government’s task is not to maintain “no border” in Ireland, but to prevent it from “becoming significantly harder”. |
| On the radio he goes on to say "There’s no border between Islington, Camden and Westminster, but when I was mayor of London we anaesthetically and invisibly took hundreds of millions of pounds from people travelling between those boroughs without any need for border checks.” | On the radio he goes on to say "There’s no border between Islington, Camden and Westminster, but when I was mayor of London we anaesthetically and invisibly took hundreds of millions of pounds from people travelling between those boroughs without any need for border checks.” |
| In an interview with Deutsche Welle's Zhanna Nemtsova, Johnson categorically asserts Porton Down informed him the nerve agent came from Russia. | In an interview with Deutsche Welle's Zhanna Nemtsova, Johnson categorically asserts Porton Down informed him the nerve agent came from Russia. |
| Nemtsova: You argue the source of this nerve agent, novichok, is Russia. How did you manage to find it out so quickly? Does Britain possess samples? | Nemtsova: You argue the source of this nerve agent, novichok, is Russia. How did you manage to find it out so quickly? Does Britain possess samples? |
| Johnson: Let me be clear with you … When I look at the evidence, I mean the people from Porton Down, the laboratory … | Johnson: Let me be clear with you … When I look at the evidence, I mean the people from Porton Down, the laboratory … |
| Nemtsova: So they have samples …? | Nemtsova: So they have samples …? |
| Johnson: They do. And they were absolutely categorical and I asked the guy myself, I said, "Are you sure?" and he said there's no doubt. | Johnson: They do. And they were absolutely categorical and I asked the guy myself, I said, "Are you sure?" and he said there's no doubt. |
| Asked how the UK had been able to find out the novichok originated from Russia so quickly, he replied: “When I look at the evidence, the people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked the guy myself, I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘There’s no doubt.’ So we have very little alternative but to take the action that we have taken.” | Asked how the UK had been able to find out the novichok originated from Russia so quickly, he replied: “When I look at the evidence, the people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked the guy myself, I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘There’s no doubt.’ So we have very little alternative but to take the action that we have taken.” |
| The Russians immediately seized on Aitkenhead’s comments. | The Russians immediately seized on Aitkenhead’s comments. |
| Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Britain would have to apologise to Russia for its “mad accusations” that “have no foundation whatsoever”. | Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Britain would have to apologise to Russia for its “mad accusations” that “have no foundation whatsoever”. |
| The Russian embassy in London said the UK’s claims that Moscow was behind the attack was a “bluff”, adding: “This has been confirmed by the head of the secret lab. This only proves that all political declarations on the Russian origin of the crime are nothing but assumptions not stemming from objective facts or the course of the investigation.” | The Russian embassy in London said the UK’s claims that Moscow was behind the attack was a “bluff”, adding: “This has been confirmed by the head of the secret lab. This only proves that all political declarations on the Russian origin of the crime are nothing but assumptions not stemming from objective facts or the course of the investigation.” |
| De Bretton-Gordon said: “Porton Down have done the job that they’re required to do. They have identified the nerve agent and said that it’s a novichock. The prime minister has stated that a number of other intelligence sources have led the UK government to believe that the Russian government are responsible for the attack in Salisbury. | De Bretton-Gordon said: “Porton Down have done the job that they’re required to do. They have identified the nerve agent and said that it’s a novichock. The prime minister has stated that a number of other intelligence sources have led the UK government to believe that the Russian government are responsible for the attack in Salisbury. |
| “Russia, as a signatory to the chemical weapons convention should be helping investigations including assisting the OPCW to visit Shikhany, [the base of a military research establishment in central Russia], to verify if the novichok came from there. If the Russians are as innocent as they say they are, they should allow them to visit as soon as possible.” | “Russia, as a signatory to the chemical weapons convention should be helping investigations including assisting the OPCW to visit Shikhany, [the base of a military research establishment in central Russia], to verify if the novichok came from there. If the Russians are as innocent as they say they are, they should allow them to visit as soon as possible.” |
| Sergei Skripal | Sergei Skripal |
| Boris Johnson | Boris Johnson |
| Chemical weapons | Chemical weapons |
| Russia | Russia |
| Novichok poisonings | |
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