Stone accuses Salmond of being 'pawn' in Russian bid to undermine UK
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Far north MP, Jamie Stone has accused Scotland's former First Minister, Alex Salmond, of being "an unwitting pawn of Russia's chess game to undermine the UK".
The claim was made while the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and easter Ross, was speaking during a parliamentary debate on global human security.
Mr Stone attacked Mr Salmons for his reticence over who was to blame for the Novichok poisonings which took place in Salisbury, Wiltshire in 2018. Some time after the original poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, Dawn Sturgess died after coming into contact with the Novichok container thought to have transported the poison to the UK.
Mr Salmond, who hosts a chat show on the Russia Today television channel, was asked three times during a BBC Scotland interview if Russia was behind the Novichok poisoning attacks but was reluctant to give a yes or no answer. He claimed it was unclear who was to blame although it has been widely reported Russia was behind the attack. Mr Salmond said the evidence should be put before
international tribunals and the courts.
Mr Stone, the defence spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, criticised Mr Salmond's reticence and said: "I absolutely deplore Mr Alex Salmond's refusal to accept the disgraceful, the horrific nature of the murder - the attack - in Salisbury. I don't think this man realises that he is the unwitting pawn of Russia's chess game to undermine the United Kingdom.
"It is no accident that RT, (Russian Television), uses it services to try and undermine some of the things we hold most dear in the United Kingdom. "
Mr Stone argued the threat to this country from a cyber attack "is very very real indeed" and said: " It's very easy to think of Russia attacking this way, but also let us remember there other enemies out there - several times, mention has been made of China, North Korea and others. Alas we live in a dangerous world and we have to defend ourselves. "
He added: "It is not just about an attack on an institution such as the House of Commons, such as our own defence systems. It can actually very sadly be on an individual and we've seen the spread of anti-semitism and all sorts of unfortunate messages being pushed, possibly from Russian bots, possibly from other countries. We know not. But it is done with malevolent intent, make no mistake of that."
Critics of Mr Salmond accused of him of being an apologist for Russia.