On November 9th, Alexander Litvinenko was due to have taken part in a panel debate at City University to discuss the killing of reporter Anna Politkovskaya. Litvinenko was a friend of Politkovskaya’s. He couldn’t make it due to illness – an illness which is now being investigated as a poisoning.

British politicians have been embarrassingly quiet over Politkovskaya’s death. Since Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000 thirteen journalists have died in contract killings.

When it comes to the deadliest places to practise independent reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Russia third after Iraq and Algeria.

Incidentally, Russia is in the process of becoming Europe’s major supplier of natural gas. At what point exactly do we become concerned about our relationship? Or is poisoning, like the killing of journalists, financiers and lawyers, just the cost of doing business?