UK to respond appropriately if foreign state poisoned ex-spy-Hammond

British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday that Britain's government would respond "appropriately" if a foreign state was found to be involved in the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England a week ago.

"This is a police investigation and it will be evidence-led and we must go where the evidence takes us," Hammond told BBC television.

"So we have to allow the police investigation to run its course. But if there were to be an involvement of a foreign state evidenced by this investigation, then obviously that would be very serious indeed and the government would respond appropriately," he said.