British MPs attack Trump for failing to condemn Russian poisoning

REUTERS/Matt Dunham/Pool

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during in a working dinner meeting at the NATO headquarters during a NATO summit of heads of state and government in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017.

• British MPs question why the US president has failed to speak out about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
• Theresa May said on Monday that it is "highly likely" that Russia was behind the attack.
• Trump is condemned for failing to show solidarity with America's close ally.

LONDON - British MPs have rounded on US President Donald Trump for his failure to condemn the alleged poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday accused Russia of carrying out the attack in Salisbury, south England.

"The government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," May told MPs in the House of Commons yesterday. 

However, while US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has condemned the attack, the normally outspoken president has up until now remained silent. 

Labour's Ben Bradshaw - who has been at the forefront of UK parliamentary efforts to investigate alleged Russian meddling in western affairs - asked when the world can "expect" a tweet from President Trump.

He was echoed by his Labour colleagues Barry Sheerman and Mike Gapes, who urged the US President to publicly support the UK.

Earlier in the day, former Labour MP and leadership hopeful David Miliband's told BBC Radio 4 it was "very significant and very worrying" that the White House had failed to back May in condemning Russia. 

"The biggest thing she has to do in the next two days is rally her allies. It's very significant and very worrying, frankly, that the White House has not felt able to point the finger at Russia in the last seven or eight days.

"I think that rallying the European allies and if possible significant strands of American opinion is absolutely key."

Listen: Miliband criticises Trump