A SUGGESTION that England might pull out of the World Cup in Russia if links to the suspected poisoning of a former spy were proven has been backed by a Teesside MP.

The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson told MPs that it would be "very difficult to imagine that UK representation" at the World Cup in Russia could "go ahead in the normal way" this summer if the Salisbury contamination scare was connected to the Kremlin.

A source close to Mr Johnson later said he was talking about a scenario in which British "officials and dignitaries" may not attend, adding he is not seeking to push for the Three Lions to be withdrawn from the tournament.

England are the only one of the home nations to have qualified, with Mr Johnson's remarks in the Commons prompted by the incident which has hospitalised former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia.

Mr Johnson alluded to the belief among some MPs of Russian involvement in the incident, adding such a situation would lead to a "serious conversation about our engagement with Russia".

He added: "For my own part, I think it will be very difficult to see how we can - I am thinking ahead to the World Cup this July this summer - I think it'll be very difficult to imagine that UK representation at that event could go ahead in the normal way. We'd certainly have to consider that."

England will face Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in the group stages of the competition, which begins on June 14 in Moscow as Russia take on Saudi Arabia.

Reacting to his comments, Redcar's Labour MP Anna Turley said: "Sadly I think the threat of withdrawing official representation at this year’s World Cup is the right course of action.

"As a football fan I am going to find it extremely difficult to watch this year’s tournament being hosted in a country complicit in the use of chemical weapons and the targeting of civilians, including schools and hospitals, in Syria.

"There is also substantial evidence they have interfered in other country’s elections, stirring up division, and now have possibly undertaken murder on British soil.

"Their actions cannot go on unchallenged and we cannot just pretend everything is fine for two weeks this summer.”

Labour's Toby Perkins (Chesterfield) later called for Mr Johnson to come back to the Commons to explain his comments.

Raising a point of order, Mr Perkins quoted Mr Johnson's remarks and said: "If what the Foreign Secretary was saying was that it was his view that England should pull out of the World Cup, the consequences of that are absolutely massive - on the travel industry, on businesses, on the tens of thousands of supporters who are intending to travel and the media and so on.

"I wonder if you have heard if there is going to be a statement to that effect and if not that we should ask the Foreign Secretary to come back and explain such an important claim very quickly."

Commons Speaker John Bercow replied: "To be fair to the Foreign Secretary who (Mr Perkins) briefly quoted, the Foreign Secretary used the conditional tense and I think it would be correct to say that he was ruminating on the possibilities in the event of no improvement in the situation.

"I don't think it would be right to say that he made a statement of policy."