IT is regrettable that Jeremy Corbyn’s sensible and measured response to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter has been so widely misrepresented, and seized upon by Corbyn’s opponents in the Labour party as another opportunity to undermine him.

As Mr Corbyn has said, this attack with a nerve agent was “an appalling act of violence” which was “barbaric and beyond reckless” and “demands the most thorough and painstaking criminal investigation.”

That investigation is in progress, but the Prime Minister has already decided who is guilty.

She is rather like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland: “No, no! Sentence first – verdict afterwards!” Theresa May’s response may play well to her admirers at home, making her appear tough and decisive – but it will achieve nothing.

It is highly likely that the Kremlin is behind this attack, but it is unproven. Other possibilities must be considered.

Nevertheless, a criminal investigation by the police and security services, involving the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as Mr Corbyn recommends, is the correct way to proceed. And if incriminating evidence emerges, Russia’s continued denial would be greeted with the derision it deserves.

Pete Winstanley, Durham