ANALYSIS Boris Johnson has shot himself in the foot on Russia - but the facts have not changed
2 min read
Nothing has changed in the facts of the Salisbury nerve agent attack - but Boris Johnson’s reputation once again lies in tatters.
The loose-tongued Foreign Secretary told German media he was given “categorical” assurance that Porton Down had identified the source of the nerve agent as Russia - only to be contradicted by the defence lab itself.
And the Foreign Office was forced to row back after merrily tweeting along with British Ambassador to Russia, Dr Laurie Bristow, as he said the deadly substance was produced in Russia.
The mistakes come as the previous Boris blunder that turned up the heat on Iran-jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe continue to dog him months later.
Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn have quickly seized upon Johnson’s latest gaffe as proof that the Labour leader was right to take a measured approach on Russia.
Labour MP Chris Williamson has already lashed out at the BBC for “echoing” (ie reporting) criticism of Corbyn for demanding more evidence before the Kremlin was placed in the frame.
He drew a comparison with the Iraq war, while the usual pro-Corbyn channels such as Skwawkbox have been tweeting excitedly as the cogs of conspiracy enjoy a good oiling.
There is no doubt that the PR blunders are humiliating for the Government and should be rightly seized on by Labour.
They undermine the hard-won global coalition Theresa May put together for a diplomatic offensive against Moscow, and can be weaponised by the Kremlin as evidence of a rush to judgment.
But despite the damaging handling of the facts, those same facts still remain: That the Government believes there is no other reasonable explanation beyond the culpability of Moscow.
The re-stating of the role of Porton Down (in an interview sanctioned by Number 10) does not change that, and neither does some overzealous tweeting of mis-judged ambassadorial phrasing.
The Government has learnt the hard way that it must be more careful with the facts or risk handing ammunition to a corrupt state desperate to undermine its case.
Boris Johnson may have once again shot himself in the foot on this one - but reading too far into the PR nightmare carries its own risks.
