Brown’s stand on Russia is a welcome correction

When a British citizen is killed on British soil and a foreign government refuses to hand over the suspected killer for trial, then the British government must act. It was imperative that David Miliband demonstrated to the Russian government that their failure to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the suspected killer of Alexander Litvinenko, would have consequences. If Miliband had confined himself to the usual diplomatic mutterings, as his critics think he should, he would have been effectively declaring open season on British citizens; inviting KGB alumni to knock off any turbulent priests who’ve settled in London.

Litvinenko’s murder late last year was designed to send the message that critics of the Russian security state were not safe anywhere. It was vital that an equally clear message was sent that London will not be turned into a venue for the settling of these scores, especially as there appear to have been assissination attempts in London on Kremlin critics as recently as last month.