MPs from across the political spectrum have criticised Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper for refusing to condemn Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, amid growing fears that the UK’s cautious response undermines international law. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs pressed the foreign secretary in the Commons on Monday, urging the government to take a clearer stand against what many view as an illegal abduction.
Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, described the US action as “a breach of international law.” She warned that if a powerful country abducts another’s leader and intimidates the smaller nation for resources, it must be called out by Britain and its western allies. Labour MP Richard Burgon accused the prime minister of disregarding the UN charter, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey stressed that Maduro’s brutality does not give Trump a “free pass for illegal action.”
Former Conservative foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt linked the Venezuela operation to wider US threats, warning that annexation of Greenland – a Nato ally’s territory – could destroy the alliance. He questioned whether the Foreign Office was planning to avert such a disaster, adding that Europe appears “weak and divided” from the outside. Hunt’s remarks came as Cooper held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Venezuelan opposition politician María Machado.
Cooper told the Commons she had emphasised the importance of international law in her conversation with Rubio but declined to label the US raid illegal, saying Washington must first set out its justification. The prime minister echoed this line, stating he wanted to “establish the facts” before judging Trump’s actions. He did, however, robustly defend Denmark against Trump’s renewed suggestion of US annexation of Greenland, insisting its future lies solely with Denmark and Greenland.
The government’s evasive stance also surfaced earlier on Monday when Home Office minister Mike Tapp refused to criticise the idea of a US takeover of Greenland, telling Sky News that “diplomacy is delicate” and not a subject for running commentary. The coalition of the willing, which includes the UK, is keen to keep Washington onside as it prepares for a potential Ukraine peace deal, a factor believed to be influencing the government’s cautious tone.
