British ambassador rushes out of Russian Foreign Ministry
Date
11/30/2024 12:54:46 PM
(MENAFN) The British ambassador to Moscow, Nigel Casey, rudely dismissed an RT journalist after being reprimanded by the Russian Foreign Ministry over espionage allegations involving one of his staff members. Edward Prior Wilks, a second secretary in the British Embassy's Political department, was declared persona non grata by Russia's federal Security Service (FSB) for allegedly providing false information on his visa application. The FSB also accused Wilks of engaging in “intelligence and sabotage activities.”
On Tuesday, Casey was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to address the complaint about Wilks’ actions. As the ambassador left the building on Smolenskaya Square, he encountered a group of reporters. When RT journalist Chay Bowes asked him about the espionage case, Casey dismissed him with a curt “Buzz off!” In response to Bowes’ follow-up question about the UK’s spending priorities, Casey quickly entered an embassy car, which then drove away.
The incident occurred amid political tensions, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer having recently cut the £300 ($390) winter fuel subsidy for pensioners, citing budgetary issues, while continuing to support Ukraine's war effort. Following Wilks’ expulsion, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced it would be closely scrutinizing all British diplomatic paperwork and warned of immediate retaliation if the UK escalates the situation.
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