Big embarrassment for Britain: lab findings spark social media uproar

The Chief of the Defense Science and Tech lab at Porton Down, the lab examining the chemical agent that the Skripals were poisoned with, came out with the news, in an interview with SkyNews, that they have no idea where the poison originated:

“We were able to identify it as Novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.”

“We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to.”

Meanwhile, top UK officials seem to have already confirmed its origin, as Boris Johnson apparently did in this interview:

The fact that it appears that Boris Johnson lied here and has misled both the British people and the world about the origins of the sample that was used in the attack in Salisbury is downright malignant. The allegations that Johnson has made, and the “assessment” that Prime Minister Theresa May presented to the British Parliament are something that the UK government, and others around the world, has decided to run with, as diplomacy with the Russian government deteriorates, to further advance accusations against the Kremlin for the attack itself and to enact “reprisals” in retaliation for the attack.

Now that the lab that was studying the samples, Porton Down, that were apparently used in the attack has defined that they do not, in fact, have “no doubt” that the sample is, in fact, Russian in origin shows that someone has advanced this cause by lying, and it appears that in this case, that lie is from British FM Boris Johnson himself.

Social media has been in an uproar over the revelation in the face of the governments alleged certitude relative to the origin of the chemical agent being Russia:

Paging Boris Johnson and Theresa May when Porton Down’s unable to establish where Novichok used to poison Sergei & Yulia Skripal was made. Let’s see your “evidence” it’s from Russia

— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 3, 2018

Boris Johnson claimed Porton Down said there was ‘no doubt’ they knew Novichok came from Russia.

Today, Porton Down say they don’t know the precise source.

It’s not Porton Down’s job to find source but to analyse what the substance is.

So Johnson may have lied to the public. pic.twitter.com/amfvDWcTEi

— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) April 3, 2018

Porton Down CEO Gary Aitkenhead says scientists unable to prove Novichok used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal came from Russia or establish its country of origin. A tad embarrassing for @theresa_may? https://t.co/pV5MGIjTk2

— Ian Fraser (@Ian_Fraser) April 3, 2018

BREAK: Porton Down boss tells @skynews not yet able to establish where #salisbury #poisoning nerve agent came from ie can’t confirm it was Russia

— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) April 3, 2018

Have they spoken to Boris Johnson ? he confirmed it within hours. ????????

— dezzafromscarborough (@dezza2542) April 3, 2018

All I’ve seen is conjecture built on false claims.

Theresa May should go now.

— Tony Man™ (@MrTonyMan) April 3, 2018

The Tories have been caught red handed one more—lying, escalating tensions with a nuclear power, only for Porton Down to turn around and say ‘we don’t know if the #Novichok is Russian’.

Guess who has been vindicated (again)? Jeremy Corbyn. #Skripal

— Man Like Mike ???? (@19MF91) April 3, 2018