Russia row: Labour MP calls for debate on World Cup move

There is a growing appetite among MPs to push for international action over Russia hosting the World Cup this summer in the wake of the Salisbury incident, a Labour backbencher has said.

John Woodcock called for parliament to debate whether the government should ask its allies to advocate postponing the tournament or moving it to another country.

“I would like to see a parliamentary debate on whether concerted government action together with other countries to postpone the World Cup or move it to another venue would be the right way to go,” Woodcock told the Daily Express.

The Barrow and Furness MP broke ranks with his party leader this week to support the government in blaming Russia over the poisoning of the former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent.

Woodcock led a group of about 20 Labour MPs in signing an early day motion “unequivocally” accepting the Russian state’s culpability for the 4 March attack.

On Thursday the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said there were no plans to stop England competing in the World Cup, but he said there would not be any “high-level representation” at the event.

Woodcock said: “This is a decision which should be shared between the government, the fans and the FA. I don’t want to see anyone dictated to and I am not calling for England to unilaterally withdraw from the tournament. But there is a growing appetite among MPs to push for concerted international action over the World Cup. It should be on the table because of the appalling magnitude of what Russia has done.”

Another Labour MP, Ian Austin, said: “I am very concerned that [Vladimir] Putin will use the World Cup in the same way that Hitler used the 1936 Munich Olympics, as a public relations exercise for a brutal dictatorship.”

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, Labour’s Stephen Kinnock said: “I also think we should seriously consider about making a coordinated approach to Fifa and talk with Fifa and other allies about moving the World Cup to 2019 and having it hosted in a different host country or countries.

“Putin has invested billions of roubles in the World Cup and sees it as an opportunity to showcase his regime to the world.”

The FA said it would “continue to work closely with the government and relevant authorities”.

Theresa May, Donald Trump, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement on Thursday in which the foreign leaders endorsed May’s conclusion that it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the Salisbury attack.

On Friday Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said he backed the British government’s response to the attack. He told Today: “We have been briefed by the British government. We have no reason to doubt the findings and assessments made by the British government, not least because this takes place on the background of a pattern of reckless behaviour by Russia over many years.

“It’s important Russia gets a clear signal that it has consequences, costs to the way they behave. All Nato allies express strong political support to the UK. The United Kingdom is not alone, all allies stand in solidarity with the United Kingdom.”

He said Russia had underestimated the “resolve and unity” of Nato allies when the organisation previously implemented sanctions.

“We have what I will call a dual-track approach to Russia: it’s about strength, deterrents, defence, but it’s also about political dialogue,” he said. “We do not want a new cold war. We don’t want a new arms race. Russia is our neighbour so therefore we have to continue to strive for an improved, better relationship with Russia.”

But he added: “To isolate Russia is not an alternative. It’s our neighbour, it is here to stay. It is in their interest not to confront us but cooperate with us.”