Politics
REUTERS/Darren Staples
Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 28, 2016.
LONDON - Jeremy Corbyn believes there is not enough evidence to conclude that Russia was culpable for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons today that Vladimir Putin's Russia was responsible for the attack in Salisbury last week and will be subject to a series of punitive measures.
However, shortly May's speech, a spokesperson for Corbyn said the Labour leader did not believe there was sufficient proof to conclude that Russia carried out the poisoning, suggesting that British intelligence services could be wrong.
"There is a history between weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly," they said.
Asked why Corbyn did not explicitly condemn Russia in his response to the prime minister's Commons speech, they added: "Clearly whoever carried out the attack is responsible for what was a completely heinous and reckless act."
The spokesperson also suggested that the poisoning might have been a "mafia" hit, rather than a state-sanctioned attack.
Prime Minister May said she was "surprised and shocked" by the Labour leader's statement and said most Labour MPs will be"equally surprised" by the spokesperson's comments.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, are critical condition after being exposed to a military-grade nerve agent last week.
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