May uses key UN speeches to turn her fire on Moscow

Theresa May attacked Russia for its “desperate fabrication” over the Salisbury spy poisoning at a meeting of world leaders in New York.

Britain set out detailed evidence about the prime suspects in the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia while Russia has only sought to “obfuscate”, the Prime Minister said.

Mrs May used two key speeches at the United Nations to turn her fire on Moscow.

It comes amid reports that one of the suspects in the Salisbury poisoning, Ruslan Boshirov, has been identified as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, a highly decorated officer in the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service.

Boshirov was identified alongside Alexander Petrov by the UK as GRU members but the two men made widely mocked claims that they only visited the Wiltshire city in early March to see the “wonderful town” of Salisbury and its famous cathedral.

Mrs May called on Russia to rejoin the international consensus against the use of chemical weapons but said there should be no doubt about the international community’s determination to take action if that did not happen.

She said: “We have taken appropriate action, with our allies, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure our collective security. Russia has only sought to obfuscate through desperate fabrication.”

In speeches to the UN’s Security Council and its General Assembly, Mrs May warned of the dangers of the international community failing to cooperate.

Mrs May also criticised Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

The PM praised the US president for the “leadership” he had shown over North Korea by meeting dictator Kim Jong Un for talks over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

But she said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) had taken collective leadership.

She added: “For many years, the scale and nature of Iran’s nuclear programme raised serious international concerns. The JCPOA was an important step forward in addressing these.

“It remains the best means of preventing Iran developing a nuclear weapon, and we are committed to preserving the JCPOA as long as Iran continues to abide by its obligations in full.

“Iran must ensure they implement their obligations fully. And to monitor Iran’s compliance, we strongly support the IAEA using inspections and other monitoring provisions of the JCPOA to their full.”

Mrs May also championed international cooperation, one day after President Trump attacked globalisation and said countries should act in their own interests.

“Only global cooperation based on a set of agreed rules can ensure competition is fair and does not succumb to protectionism, with its certain path to lost jobs and international confrontation,” Mrs May said.

“And it is only global co-operation which can harness legitimate self-interest towards common goals, producing agreements on global challenges such as climate change, proliferation and increasing inclusive economic growth.”

Downing Street insisted the comments were not an attack on Mr Trump and had been written before he made his remarks.

Mrs May urged international leaders to step up and act when international norms, such as over the use of chemical weapons, are broken.

Failure to act could fuel a rise in fascism and communism, she warned.

“Be in no doubt, if we lack the confidence to step up, others will,” Mrs May said.

“In the last century – whether in the rise of fascism or the spread of communism – we have seen those on the extreme right and extreme left exploit people’s fears, stoke intolerance and racism, close down economies and societies and destroy the peace of nations.

“And today once more we see worrying trends in the rise of these movements in Europe and beyond.”

She added: “We have seen what happens when the natural patriotism which is a cornerstone of a healthy society is warped into aggressive nationalism, exploiting fear and uncertainty to promote identity politics at home and belligerent confrontation abroad, while breaking rules and undermining institutions.

“And we see this when states like Russia flagrantly breach international norms, from the seizing of sovereign territory to the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of Britain by agents of the Russian GRU.”

Mrs May said international intervention was “not just a moral imperative” but a “matter of self-interest”.

“For when barbarous acts and aggression go unchecked, dictators and terrorists are emboldened.

“So, we must have the confidence to act.”