UK Labour MP Slams US Strikes in Venezuela, Warns of Dangerous Global Precedent

 

A senior United Kingdom Labour lawmaker, Dame Emily Thornberry, has condemned the recent United States military action in Venezuela, describing it as a breach of international law that should be firmly denounced by Britain.

Thornberry, a former shadow foreign secretary, is the most senior Labour figure so far to publicly criticise US President Donald Trump following weekend airstrikes that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

While the UK government has stopped short of declaring the US action illegal, it has maintained that Washington must clearly explain the legal basis for its operation. However, the strikes have drawn sharp criticism from several Labour MPs as well as leaders of the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, Thornberry said the strikes were “not a legal action” and that she could see no valid justification under international law.

She urged Britain and its allies to take a firm stance, warning against what she described as a slide into global disorder.

“We cannot have breaches of international law like this. We cannot have the law of the jungle,” she said. “We condemn President Putin for doing it. We must also make it clear that Donald Trump should not be doing it either.”

Thornberry warned that such actions could embolden other world powers, including Russia and China, to pursue similar unilateral interventions.

She argued that the growing belief among global leaders that they can enforce “spheres of influence” without regard for international norms posed a serious threat to global stability.

“President Putin could say Ukraine is in his sphere of influence, and Xi could say the same about Taiwan. It sets a terrible and deeply worrying precedent,” she added.

Only a handful of Labour MPs have so far publicly stated that the US violated international law, though more criticism is expected when the UK Foreign Secretary addresses Parliament.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has so far refrained from condemning the US strikes, citing the need to establish all the facts. He reiterated his commitment to international law, describing himself as a “lifelong advocate” of the rules-based global order.

Home Office Minister Mike Tapp, however, defended the outcome of the operation, describing Maduro as an “evil, illegitimate dictator” and claiming Venezuela was now safer without him in power.

“What we need to see is a democratic, peaceful transition,” Tapp said, adding that the situation was complex and that the US must clarify the legal grounds for its actions.

The United Nations Security Council, of which the UK is a member, is expected to meet to deliberate on the US intervention.

Opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats, Greens and SNP, have called on the UK government to formally condemn the strikes. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey warned that unlawful military actions, even against brutal regimes, ultimately undermine global security.

Maduro and his wife were removed from Caracas in a joint US military and law enforcement operation and are now facing weapons and drug-related charges in New York. US authorities allege that Maduro profited from a violent drug trafficking network, claims he has strongly denied.

President Trump has said the US will oversee Venezuela until a “proper” transfer of power is completed, with Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez expected to serve as interim president.