British Prime Minister Theresa May took aim at Russia at a major speech to her Conservative Party today, cutting a stronger figure as internal Brexit divisions took a back seat.
Amid escalating tensions with Moscow over the poisoning of a former double agent on British soil, May warned that she would "never tolerate a threat to the life of British citizens and others on British soil from the Russian government," to strong applause from party members.
May's last major party conference appearance ended in disaster as a cough, a prankster and a collapsing backdrop undermined her speech -- intended to restore her authority following last year's disastrous snap general election in which the Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority.
A pre-Christmas breakthrough with the European Union in Brexit negotiations gave her a boost, but she was again under pressure after pro-EU rebels within her centre-right party delivered her a stinging parliamentary defeat.
However, she arrived at the Conservatives' spring forum in London with renewed authority.
Her decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats and suspend high-level contacts received cross-party and media support, but more importantly rallied the Conservatives, heralding a ceasefire in the bitter internal row over Brexit.
May began her speech, which took place shortly after Russia announced tit-for-tat expulsions of British diplomats, by accusing Moscow of being in "flagrant breach of international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention."
She also said that "Russian aggression is the very antithesis of the liberal and democratic values that define the United Kingdom."
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