Kemi Badenoch has praised Donald Trump's seizure of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro as "morally right", offering her strongest support for the US president since American special forces attacked the country.
The Conservative leader said she understood why the US intervened militarily to end Mr Maduro's rule, drawing on her own childhood experience of living under a military dictatorship in Nigeria. "I grew up under a military dictatorship, so I know what it's like to have someone like Maduro in charge," she said. "I know what it's like to have people celebrating in the street. So I'm not condemning the US."
Asked directly if sending special forces to seize Maduro was the right thing to do, Ms Badenoch replied: "Morally, yes." She added: "I wish there had been another way, but having had personal experience of what the people of Venezuela are suffering, I cannot say anything different."
Ms Badenoch acknowledged that the US invasion raised "serious questions about the rules-based order", but questioned the relevance of international law in all instances. Accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of "hand wringing" and "projecting weakness", she said: "As we all know, international law is what countries agree to. Once people decide they don't agree, there is no international law."
She backed her argument by noting that Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had said the country had "already been invaded by Russia, by Iran, by Hezbollah", asking: "Where were the people talking about international law then?"
However, Ms Badenoch said her support for President Trump did not extend to his threats to take over Greenland, stating: "It is not for sale. What happens to Greenland is up to Denmark and the people of Greenland."
