Theresa May has told Vladimir Putin the Salisbury poisonings have “spectacularly backfired” after 24 countries joined with Britain to “dismantle” Russia’s worldwide spy network.

The Prime Minister vowed never to allow President Putin’s espionage machine to be rebuilt after the US and other Western allies announced the expulsion of more than 130 Russian intelligence officers, The Guardian reports.

President Donald Trump ordered 60 suspected Russian spies to leave the US – including 12 from the United Nations in New York – while 16 EU countries and five other non-EU members also gave Russians notice to leave in the largest collective expulsion of Russian spies in history. At least two other EU members will follow suit today.

Mrs May said the unprecedented show of solidarity – which outstripped even Downing Street’s expectations after days of intense diplomacy – sent the “strongest signal” to the Kremlin that Russia “cannot continue to flout international law and threaten our security”.

The White House said Mr Putin could no longer be in any doubt that “actions have consequences”.

The international response to the Salisbury attacks, which follows Mrs May’s decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats from London earlier this week, was described by experts as a “heavy blow” to Russian intelligence-gathering.

Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, said “additional measures” including more expulsions by more countries, could not be excluded in the “coming days and weeks”.

The US officials accused Russia of a “reckless attempt” to murder British citizens on UK soil and said the attack would not go unpunished.