Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry has issued a stark warning that the United States' dramatic military operation in Venezuela is a thinly-veiled grab for the nation's vast oil wealth, posing a severe threat to global stability.
A Dangerous Precedent of Might Over Right
The Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee condemned the night-time raid on 4 January 2026, where American Special Forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their residence. Thornberry stressed that such an action, arresting a foreign leader for trial in a domestic US court, is a clear violation of international law established after the Second World War.
"You really aren’t allowed to walk into other countries and arrest the leadership," she stated, questioning where such a precedent might end. The core of her argument is that "might must not be right," and the international community has a duty to call out such transgressions, even by powerful nations.
The Real Motive: 303 Billion Barrels of Oil
Thornberry directly challenged the Trump administration's stated justification for the intervention—the war on drugs. She pointed out that Venezuela is far from the largest source of illicit narcotics, and highlighted Trump's controversial pardon last month of former Honduran President Hernandez, who was convicted on cocaine charges.
The real motive, she asserts, is economic. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 303 billion barrels. Thornberry cited statements from Trump and his allies about "getting back the oil that was stolen," framing the operation as a resource grab disguised as law enforcement. "You can’t walk into a smaller country and take its resources," she argued.
Global Repercussions: A Green Light for Russia and China?
The most alarming consequence, according to Thornberry, is the signal it sends to other global powers. By claiming Venezuela falls within America's "sphere of influence" and acting unilaterally, the US risks setting a template for aggression.
This could embolden Russia and China to apply the same logic to territories they claim. "The worry is that China may today be thinking ‘Isn’t Taiwan in our sphere of influence?’ And Putin thinking ‘And Ukraine is in mine’," Thornberry warned. This action, therefore, threatens to undermine the entire post-war international order and could trigger further conflicts.
Her intervention places significant scrutiny on the UK government's response, urging it to uphold international law and not remain silent in the face of what she characterises as a dangerous and opportunistic military strike.
