Corbyn ally says Labour MPs who back the Government and blame Russia for the Salisbury attack - including Keir Starmer and Nia Griffith - are 'political enemies' and should be deselected

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Corbyn ally Chris Williamson has torn into Labour MPs who backed the Government and blamed Russia for the Salisbury attack - branding them 'political enemies'. 

Jeremy Corbyn has refused to blame Vladimir Putin for the outrage - instead suggesting the mafia might be behind the use of military-grade nerve agent. 

Shadow Cabinet ministers Sir Keir Starmer and Nia Griffith are among a host of Labour MPs who defied their leader to point the finger of blame squarely at Russia.

But last night Mr Williamson took aim at moderates who backed Theresa May's tough response to the Kremlin and said he would be happy if they 'b******d off'.  

He claimed Labour politicians who oppose Corybn's leadership and handling of the Russian situation should be stripped off their seats.  

Chris Williamson used an address to a Corbynista Momentum meeting to launch a furious attack on Labour MPs who have called for tough action against the Kremlin (file pic)

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer heaped pressure on Mr Corbyn by insisting the PM had drawn the 'right conclusion' about Russia's culpability

Speaking in Ealing, west London last night, Mr Williamson said: 'These characters characters, they are like baying for blood.

'Some of them would be quite happy were we to enter in to a hot war.'

What have Labour MPs said about Corbyn's response to Salisbury?

Leading moderate John Woodcock has led Labour MPs in tabling an early day motion backing Theresa May's response against Russia over the Salisbury spy poisoning

Sir Keir Starmer,shadow Brexit secretary

'I think it's very important that we support the action the prime minister laid out on Wednesday as a response to this unprovoked attack.

'It needs to be called out with no ifs and no buts, and we need strong action.' 

Nia Griffith, shadow defence secretary 

Said she did not agree with Jeremy Corbyn and it was 'quite clear' the incident was an 'act of aggression'.

'We fully support the government's action because we hold Russia responsible,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'We very much accept what the Prime Minister said, this is a very sophisticated nerve agent, and that Russia is responsible for this attack.' 

Labour MP Stephen Kinnock 

Said Jeremy Corbyn's Guardian article 'hasn't helped to clarify the situation'.

He said: 'This has to be a time where we stand together with the Government, shoulder to shoulder, and with our Nato allies, sending a very clear message to Russia.' 

Labour MP Yvette Cooper:

'I welcome the Prime Minister's statement. Her conclusion about the culpability of the Russian state is immensely serious. 

'In addition to its breaches of international law, its use of chemical weapons and its continued disregard for the rule of law and human rights, that must be met with unequivocal condemnation' 

Labour MP John Woodcock:

'This is a day for the House to speak as one for the nation. 

'The Prime Minister will be reassured to hear that a clear majority of Labour MPs, alongside the leaders of every other party, support her firm stance.'

Labour ex minister Pat McFadden:

'Responding with strength and resolve when your country is under threat is an essential component of political leadership. 

'There is a Labour tradition that understands that, and it has been understood by Prime Ministers of all parties who have stood at that Dispatch Box.'      

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'Regrettably we have a few on our own benches who are like-minded, 18 of them have singed an Early Day Motion (EDM) saying they unequivocally accept Russia are responsible for the attack.'

He added: 'It's far from certain, it seems to me, that it was ordered by the Kremlin.' 

Mr Williamson heaped praise on Mr Corbyn's response and said Labour MPs who do not like it should be kicked out of their seats. 

The Huffington Post reported that he said: 'It's exactly the sort of response you want from a leader, rather than the knee-jerk response you are getting from the Tories and one or two on our own benches,' he said.

'It would definitely be helpful, I think, for our own people on the green benches to actually fall in behind the leader's very statesmanlike and measured response.

'It only helps our political enemies. But frankly I see them as political enemies as well.'

Mr Williamson added: 'I have been advocating for a long time now for mandatory re-selection.

'We mustn't allow the tiny minority of irrelevant malcontents that sit on the green benches on the House of Commons to deter party members.'

He said: 'To be honest with you I'd be quite happy if some of them b*****ed off.

'The likes of John Woodcock and Ian Austin and people like that, God, it's so depressing.'

But as Mr Williamson was launching into the tirade Sir Keir was joining the mounting revolt over Mr Corbyn's handling of the attempted murder of ex spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. 

Sir Keir, the shadow Brexit secretary, joined a growing chorus of Labour moderates to say No10 was right to hit back at Russia which was behind the attack 'no ifs no buts'.  

Sir Keir told BBC Question Time: 'The Prime Minister asked serious questions of Russia earlier this week … and no answers have been given.'

'And that led her to the conclusion that there is no alternative explanation, other than that responsibility lies with Russia. 

'As you will have seen Germany, France and the U.S. have joined her in that conclusion.

'And that is the right conclusion. And for that reason I think it's very important that we support the action the prime minister laid out on Wednesday as a response to this unprovoked attack.'

He added: 'It needs to be called out with no ifs and no buts, and we need strong action.' 

Mr Corbyn suffered another blow with a poll suggesting the public rejects his handling of the crisis - and is happy with Mrs May's response.

YouGov research for The Times found some 75 per cent of people believed that Russia was responsible for the attempted murders, while just 5 per cent thought they were not.

Support for Tories was up one point on 42 per cent, while Labour was down four on 39 per cent.

Jeremy Corbyn was heavily criticised by Labour MPs after he failed to condemn the Kremlin over the Salisbury spy poisoning

Jeremy Corbyn pictured with his communications chief Seumus Milne, who has downplayed the number of people imprisoned under Stalin's murderous rule

On BBC Question Time, Mr Starmer warned there can be 'no ifs no buts' about holding Russia to account

Some 53 per cent approved of Mrs May's handling, while 23 per cent said she had performed badly.

Just 18 per cent thought Mr Corbyn had fared well and 39 per cent thought he had done badly. 

What action has Theresa May announced against Russia?

The PM unveiled the fleet of measures being taken against Russia yesterday

Theresa May has announced a fleet of tough measures against Russia in the wake of the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They include:

Expulsion of diplomats 

Britain will expel 23 Russian embassy staff who have been identified as 'undeclared intelligence officers' from the country within a week.

This is the biggest expulsion of diplomats since 1971 when Ted Heath kicked 90 Soviet staff out after the UK uncovered a large Communist spy ring.

All high-level contacts with Russia will also be suspended in protest. 

New and tougher anti-espionage laws will be brought forward to help degrade Russia's capabilities in the UK. 

The World Cup: 

Ministers and the Royal Family will boycott the football World Cup in Russia this summer. 

Britain hopes that other allies  will also snub the sporting event . 

Tougher Sanctions: 

Theresa May also signaled that Russian oligarchs wanting to come into the UK and live the high life in London will face tough new checks and sanctions.

The Government will now back amendments to bring in a Magnitsky Law into the UK - which imposes sanctions on Russians found to be linked to corruption or human rights abuses. 

Private plane checks 

While checks on Russian nationals coming to the UK will be stepped up.

This will include increased checks on private flights and extra customs checks.

The UK will also freeze Russian state assets. 

Cyber warfare? 

Mrs May suggested there will be covert action that would not be announced - an apparent hint at cyber attacks.

But this is unlikely to ever be confirmed by the Government officially. 

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YouGov interviewed 1,986 adults online on Wednesday and Thursday.

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith broke ranks yesterday to say she did not agree with Mr Corbyn and it was 'quite clear' the incident was an 'act of aggression'.

'We fully support the government's action because we hold Russia responsible,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'We very much accept what the Prime Minister said, this is a very sophisticated nerve agent, and that Russia is responsible for this attack.' 

Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said this morning that Mr Corbyn's latest intervention in a Guardian article 'hasn't helped to clarify the situation'.

'This has to be a time where we stand together with the Government, shoulder to shoulder, and with our Nato allies, sending a very clear message to Russia,' Mr Kinnock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 

He rejected Mr Corbyn's comparison with the run-up to the Iraq War, saying 'that sort of drift to conflict is not on the agenda at all'. 

'I think we have got a fundamental need for a debate in our party about about our worldview,' said Mr Kinnock. 

'There are those of us who clearly feel that Nato and the EU and standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies... are fundamentally a force for good and those alliances are the fundamental piece of architecture that we have to be a part of, and there are others in our party who take another view. 

'I think Jeremy has never made any secret of his views on the role of Nato in the world and on the EU, to a large extent, as well.' 

In his Guardian article, Mr Corbyn warned against a 'McCarthyite intolerance of dissent' over relations with Russia.

Confirming Labour's support for Mrs May's actions, Mr Corbyn said: 'We agree with the Government's action in relation to Russian diplomats.'

But he added: 'Measures to tackle the oligarchs and their loot would have a far greater impact on Russia's elite than limited tit-for-tat expulsions.'

Mr Corbyn said that Mrs May was right on Monday to identify two possibilities for the source of the nerve agent - either Russia authorised the attack or had lost control of the Novichok substance.

'If the latter, a connection to Russian mafia-like groups that have been allowed to gain a toehold in Britain cannot be excluded,' he said.

Despite Mrs May's statement on Wednesday that 'there is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable', Mr Corbyn insisted that the PM had still 'ruled out neither option'.

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith broke ranks yesterday to say she did not agree with Mr Corbyn and it was 'quite clear' the incident was an 'act of aggression'