Russian denials over Skripal "Ludicrous" claims Johnson

Detectives investigating the attempted murders of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are now focusing on his Salisbury home after high concentrations of a nerve agent were found on his front door.

Meanwhile at a London banquet, Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson poured scorn over Russian denials of involvement.

"First they told us that (the nerve agent allegedly used to poison Sergei Skripal) Novichok never existed," he said. "Then they told us that it did exist but they had destroyed the stocks.... And then they said that the attempted murder on Sergei and Yulia Skripal was revenge for Britain's supposed poisoning of Ivan the Terrible, we did it to spoil the World Cup, in fact the Foreign Office has so far counted 24 such ludicrous fibs."


Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition in hospital. They're under heavy sedation and are unable to communicate.