MP: Country heading towards 'Cold War'

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham, has warned that the British government's response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, means relations with the former soviet state are in "the deep freeze".

Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats after the country failed to respond to a deadline requesting answers over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Asked where the current crisis leaves Anglo-Russian relations Mr Kawczynski said: "In the absolute deep freeze. The problem we have is I am from a generation where we have spent an inordinate amount of time building up better relations with the Russians. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan made the first approaches to Russian leaders back in 1984.

"They were very difficult times when the divisions between both were of even greater magnitude than they are today. However, regrettably all of that painstaking work is being thrown into the waste paper bin because we are sliding our way towards another cold war with the Russians."

Speaking to parliament Mrs May, who was earlier briefed by senior intelligence chiefs in Downing Street, said there was "no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable" for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter.

She added that it was "tragic" that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "chosen to act in this way".

The measures introduced by the prime minister also include ministers and royal family boycotting the Fifa World Cup in Russia later this year, and the suspension of all planned high level bi-lateral contacts between the UK and the country.

Mr Kawczynski said the evidence behind the expulsion, and any potential sanctions on Russia, should be put before parliament.

He said: "This is the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats for 30 years so obviously the prime minister must have absolutely irrefutable evidence from the British security services that the Russian state is implicated.

"That evidence however has not been put before the house."

He added: "The House of Commons is accepting the Prime Minsters statement that she believes Russia is implicated and that is based, I can only assume, on irrefutable evidence from the security services.

"Parliament has not seen the CCTV from inside the restaurant, nor on the benches, nor before they went to the restaurant and normally, in normal circumstances, one would expect to see evidence before concluding a pattern and that is not the mood of the House of Commons and that worries me.

"If we are taking decisions of this magnitude we need irrefutable evidence."

Mr Kawczynski also called on the Labour opposition to carry out "forensic scrutiny" of the government decision.

He said: "It is important when the government is making such a fundamental decision, which could have profound consequences for our country and Russia, that there is a pain staking analysis of government decisions.

"I am deeply disturbed by Mr Corbyn's lack of forensic analysis or scrutiny of the government."

Former spy Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital after being found slumped on a bench on 4 March.