Boris Johnson has been accused of ‘misleading the public’. He stated that experts from Porton Down were “absolutely categorical” that Russia was the source of novichok, the nerve agent that poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March.
But on 3 April, Porton Down said it could not identify the “precise source” of the novichok. And then, on 4 April, it also emerged that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had deleted a tweet that also claimed the nerve agent was “produced in Russia”.
Amid calls for his resignation, Johnson’s answer was… to blame Jeremy Corbyn. Obviously.
“Lamentable”
Johnson issued a series of tweets outlining his position. Firstly, he blamed Corbyn:
It is lamentable that Jeremy Corbyn is now playing Russia’s game and trying to discredit the UK over Salisbury attack.
Let’s remember the key facts:— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018
Next, he outlined his “key facts”:
1) Porton Down identified nerve agent as military grade Novichok; 2) Russia has investigated delivering nerve agents,likely for assassination,& as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks; 3) Russia has motive for targeting Sergei Skripal.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018
According to Johnson, everyone else is “convinced”. And, don’t forget, it’s actually all Corbyn’s fault:
28 other countries have been so convinced by UK case they have expelled Russians. In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn chooses to side with the Russian spin machine.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 4, 2018
It is true that Corbyn urged caution before jumping to conclusions about the source of the novichok. And this sent right-wing media into a frenzy. But it now seems Johnson is also blaming Corbyn for his own words to a German media outlet:
— EL4C #WeAreCollective (@EL4JC) April 4, 2018
And Corbyn is also probably responsible for the actions of the FCO, of course:
NEW: This is the cached version of the Foreign Office tweet which said that Porton Down definitively identified the source of novichok as Russia. Now seems to have been deleted. Not a good look. pic.twitter.com/ewXS9tp6bm
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) April 4, 2018
This looks very embarrassing for Boris Johnson. Foreign Office confirm they deleted a tweet that said Porton Down said Salisbury nerve agent was 'produced in Russia'.https://t.co/O3qMtH5Kgl
— Paul Waugh MP (@paulwaugh) April 4, 2018
Really, Boris?
After a month of near-constant smear campaigns against Corbyn, many on Twitter were quick to challenge Johnson’s version of events:
https://twitter.com/Angry_Voice/status/981571395586023425
https://twitter.com/liarpoliticians/status/981557642299691013
https://twitter.com/PsychedelicOdin/status/981568875065200640
But as diplomatic tensions rise between the UK and Russia, Johnson’s ‘error’ has serious implications. So calls to #SackBorisJohnson are spreading across Twitter:
Boris Johnson told a blatant lie, designed to stir up tensions between Russia and the West. This is an act of astonishing duplicity and warrants nothing less than his immediate dismissal from public duty. #SackBorisJohnson https://t.co/p9roETeuGY
— Rachael Swindon #WeAreCollective (@Rachael_Swindon) April 4, 2018
It's clear Boris Johnson's comments about Russia were inaccurate. With tensions across the world high enough as it is, such behaviour is unacceptable for a Foreign Minister. He must go.#SackBorisJohnson pic.twitter.com/aVtEenTRth
— Pileus Media (@thepileus) April 4, 2018
As The Canary previously reported, BBC News coverage of recent events has also received widespread criticism. But as lawyer and activist Peter Stefanovic points out, the BBC also failed to accurately report Johnson’s statement:
EVERYTHING BBC1’s NEWS AT TEN “FORGOT” TO TELL YOU about BORIS JOHNSON & the PORTON DOWN revelation! If you think the public should know the TRUTH please RT! pic.twitter.com/CCPv7gKvXP
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) April 4, 2018
But others have not been afraid to call Johnson an outright liar:
My computer after trying to keep up with Boris Johnson's lies for a new mix of Liar Liar. pic.twitter.com/mAZWaOOpyx
— Captain SKA (@CaptainSKA) April 4, 2018
“Egg on his face”
Corbyn clearly stated that Johnson “needs to answer some questions”. And he went on to say that Johnson has “egg on his face for the statement he made on German television”:
Jeremy Corbyn: "Boris Johnson has exceeded the evidence and has serious questions to answer".
This is serious. When will the BBC wake up? pic.twitter.com/1BlmemHJTk
— EL4C #WeAreCollective (@EL4JC) April 4, 2018
The latest announcement is that Russia’s request to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for a joint investigation into this case was voted down. On 5 April, Russia has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council – a move that the FCO has already called “diversionary tactics”. And this suggests that relations between the UK and Russia look set to deteriorate further.
‘War is peace’
According to The Moscow Times, Sergei Naryshkin (head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service – SVR) warned of “‘unprecedented hypocrisy’ and a Cold War mentality” from the West, and said:
In fact all the norms that regulate intergovernmental relations are given precisely the opposite meanings.
Naryshkin reportedly went on to quote George Orwell’s famous line: “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.”
As Johnson blames Corbyn, who is so open in his opposition to war, chemical weapons and the government handling of this case, Orwell’s words do seem alarmingly accurate.
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Featured images via Chatham House, Flickr/Global Justice Now, Flickr
