Gavin Williamson was right to be paranoid about Russia

In responding to the Salisbury attack, Theresa May was in little danger of over-reacting. Her challenge was more to come up with a response which would not have Vladimir Putin laughing. As soon as the nerve agent used against Sergei Skripal and his daughter was identified as Novichok – a chemical developed by the Russian military – it became clear that there was going to be no chance of fudging the issue – of doing what the Labour government did after the death of Andrei Litvinenko in 2006: calling an inquiry which concluded the Russian state was ‘probably’ to blame.

Unlike the Polonium used to kill Litvinenko, there is really is no other possible source for Novichok. As May told the Commons this lunchtime there are only two possibilities: either the attack on Skripal was commissioned directly by the Russian state – or that state has lost control of its stocks of the chemical.