UK in talks about ways to up pressure on backers of Syrian government

Britain is in discussions with international partners on how it can put more pressure on the Syrian government and its supporters, including Russia, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Monday.

The comments come as foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrialized nations met on Monday for an annual gathering which is expected to be dominated by questions over US and Russian involvement in Syria after a poison gas attack which killed more than 80 people last week.

Asked about the possibility of additional sanctions on Russia, the spokesman said: "We are in discussions with our key partners on how we can bring further pressure to bear on the regime and those who are backing it, which includes the Russians."

He also said that May spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday evening to discuss the situation in Syria, and the pair agreed on the need to build support for a political solution to end the conflict. Britain said on Sunday Russia bore responsibility by proxy for civilian deaths in Syria last week caused by a poison gas attack that Washington says was carried out by the Moscow-backed government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.