Starmer Withholds Judgment on US Venezuela Strikes
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to say whether the United States’ military action against Venezuela violated international law, saying he wants to establish all the facts before reaching a conclusion.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Starmer did not condemn the US strikes ordered by President Donald Trump, stressing that the situation was “fast-moving” and that the full picture was not yet clear.
“No UK Involvement”
The prime minister made clear that the UK played no role in the large-scale strikes carried out on Saturday and confirmed he had not spoken to Trump about the operation.
“I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law,” Starmer said. “But I want to make sure I have all the material facts at my disposal before coming to a judgment about the consequences of the actions that have been taken.”
British Citizens Advised to Take Precautions
Starmer said the government is working closely with the UK embassy in Caracas to safeguard around 500 British nationals currently in Venezuela.
The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to the country and urged British citizens already there to “shelter in place” or be ready to change plans at short notice.
Trump: “We’re Going to Run Venezuela”
At a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela until “a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place”. He earlier confirmed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were flown out of Caracas during a military operation involving US law enforcement.
According to CBS News, elite Delta Force troops were involved in the raid. US officials say Maduro has been indicted on drug and weapons charges, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated he expects no further immediate military action.
International Law Concerns
The Trump administration has described its recent actions in the region as part of a non-international armed conflict against alleged drug traffickers.
However, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the BBC that the wider US campaign could amount to a planned and systematic attack against civilians during peacetime — a claim rejected by the White House, which insists the operation complied with the laws of armed conflict.
Political Reaction in the UK and Europe
The US action has drawn mixed reactions across the UK political spectrum:
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said “nobody will shed tears” over Maduro’s removal, while calling the moment “a very serious geopolitical development”.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney stressed that all nations must act within the international rules-based system.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey warned that unlawful attacks risk encouraging leaders such as Putin and Xi.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage argued the “unorthodox” operation could deter future Russian and Chinese aggression.
At the European level, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was closely monitoring developments and urged respect for the UN Charter.
