‘Seumas Milne has to speak for himself’: Labour splits in three over Russia

What is Labour’s position on the government’s response to the Salisbury attack? There seem to be at least three. If you listen to Jeremy Corbyn, it’s that there needs to be definitive evidence and that Britain needs to maintain a dialogue with Russia. If you listen to his backbenchers, it’s that Labour should wholeheartedly support Theresa May’s position, both on Russian culpability and on the government’s response. But if you listen to his spokesman, it’s that there is a ‘problematic’ history of UK intelligence on chemical weapons and that there was not yet proof that the Russian state had carried out the attack.

It turns out that a large number of Labour frontbenchers take the second position, somewhat surprisingly. Emily Thornberry, who was shouting ‘shame on you!’ at Theresa May during the Commons statement yesterday, last night clarified that she believed there was ‘prima facie evidence’ for Russian involvement, which is quite a break from someone who tends to back Corbyn up on most things.