Alex Salmond has said his TV show shouldn't be shut down and is not a propaganda station for Russia after the nerve agent attack on a former spy and his daughter.

The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow refused to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used on a former spy in Salisbury, England.

Former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital after being found on a bench on March 4.

The diplomats were identified as "undeclared intelligence officers" and have a week to leave.

Following the attack, Salmond said he can "say what he likes" and he has never been told what to do on his Russia Today (RT) show.

Speaking on The Alex Salmond Show on RT International, he said: "The chemical poisoning in Salisbury was a heinous crime and should be universally condemned.

"I hold no brief from the Kremlin, nor am I required to have. No-one has tried to influence the contents of this show in any way, shape or form whatsoever.

"By definition RT has not been a propaganda station because it's regulated under a UK licence by Ofcom."

The former First Minister added: "The Russian government will have no alternative but to answer.

"Don't shut down TV stations because your stand point is so uncertain you must exclude other perspectives.

"To censor would be a travesty."