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A public inquiry will be held following the death of Dawn Sturgess, who was unwittingly poisoned by Novichok brought to the UK by Russian agents sent to murder Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.
The 44-year-old died three years ago after spraying the nerve agent on her skin from a discarded bottle in Wiltshire in the belief that it was perfume.
Moscow's intended target was Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer who became a double agent for Britain, and his daughter Yulia, who were both poisoned but survived, and are now believed to be hiding in the United States.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has now granted permission for 44-year-old Ms Sturgess's inquest to be converted into a public inquiry to better examine any possible Russian involvement, amid allegations she died as an indirect result of Kremlin-sponsored poisoning.
In her letter to the coroner Baroness Heather Hallett, Ms Patel said: 'I hope this inquiry will bring comfort to (Ms Sturgess's family and others affected) through a greater understanding of the circumstances of Ms Sturgess' death and recognise the bravery and resilience of those who responded.'
The inquiry would be likely to be held in both Salisbury Guildhall and at venues in London, and be established 'as soon as is reasonably possible in 2022', Ms Patel said.
Ms Sturgess died in hospital on July 8 after she and her partner, Charlie Rowley, became seriously ill in Amesbury, Wiltshire, when
