MEMORY HOLE: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SKIRPALS? (YES, THAT NOVICHOK THINGEE)

Back in 2018 Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were big news after the British Government claimed they had been poisoned by Russian agents with something called Novichock. Neither of them died but both were hospitalised for a time, while men in hazmat suits cleaned up parts of Salisbury, the town where they lived.

Boris Johnson was Foreign Secretary at the time and blustered, as usual, about responding "robustly" to any evidence of Russian involvement, describing Russia as "a malign and disruptive force."

Luckily Britain didn't go to war with Putin, and instead just a few minor diplomats were kicked out by each country. But WTF happened to the Skirpals? With that kind of fame they could easily have gone onto "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" and made money from features in Hello magazine and doing ads for TSB.

But instead -- nada, nothing, just crickets. It's like they just disappeared off the face of the Earth or a UFO picked them up.

However, the official story is that they are now living quiet lives under new names in New Zealand.

As reported by I-News:

Skripal and his daughter spent more than a year in an MI6 safe house after being discharged from hospital.

They are now living in New Zealand under new identities, and will likely try to remain under the radar for the rest of their lives.

Their former Salisbury neighbours, Ross and Mo Cassidy, received a Christmas card from them in December, however.

“It’s nice to know they are thinking of us,” Mr Cassidy told the Sunday Times, “but I don’t expect we’ll ever see them again.”

This of course may just be a cover story. The detail about the Xmas cards sounds a little funny. Are they really living in New Zealand? Hard to tell, but the attitude of New Zealand PM Jacinda Adern has raised a few questions.