Downing Street has indicated that the United Kingdom would abstain on a United Nations Security Council resolution criticising the US arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Prime Minister’s spokesperson did not contest a report in The Times that the UK would abstain if such a vote took place.
During a briefing for political journalists, the spokesperson confirmed that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will make a statement to MPs on the situation in Venezuela. The spokesperson declined to say whether the government believed the US had broken international law, citing the long-standing principle that governments do not publish internal legal advice.
"We have long supported the transition of power away from Maduro. He’s an illegitimate president. We shed no tears about the end of his rule in Venezuela," the spokesperson said. Asked about threats by President Trump to other countries, the spokesperson described them as "hypothetical scenarios" and reiterated the UK's respect for international law.
Cooper spoke to her US counterpart, Marco Rubio, last night and reiterated the UK’s support for international law. However, the spokesperson would not say whether the UK would withhold intelligence from the US over concerns about breaches of international law. It is understood that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not yet spoken to President Trump about the arrest, though a call focused on Ukraine is expected later this week.
The government faced criticism from some Labour MPs, including Steve Witherden, who said: "With a textbook case of American gangsterism, President Trump has brought back gunboat diplomacy. Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Panama, it is anybody’s guess who might be next." He added that the government’s response had been insufficient and called for closer ties with European neighbours.
