Prime Minister Keir Starmer is confronting a significant internal rebellion from his own Labour MPs after he pointedly declined to state whether the United States' military operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro violated international law.
Mounting Pressure in the Commons
The controversy erupted on Monday night when Sir Keir, who has long emphasised the critical importance of a rules-based global order, avoided direct scrutiny in the House of Commons. Instead of addressing MPs himself, he dispatched Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to respond to urgent questions.
While insisting that international law remains "the benchmark against which we judge the actions of all other governments", the Prime Minister refused to apply that benchmark to the US action. He argued the justification "was for the US to provide" and described the situation as complicated, citing ongoing developments.
A Fury from the Labour Benches
The decision sparked immediate and fierce criticism from senior figures within his party. Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, warned the government risked endorsing a "law of the jungle" where might makes right. She stressed it was not for the offending country to decide if it had broken the law.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell labelled the government's stance as "shameful", arguing it gave Donald Trump a "green light" to seize national assets anywhere, making the world a more dangerous place. Veteran MP Diane Abbott said the public would not understand why a British Prime Minister would not defend the rules-based international order.
Cross-Party Reactions and Government Defence
In her response to MPs, Yvette Cooper revealed she had raised the principle of respecting international law with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the weekend. She also signalled a diplomatic divergence from Washington, stating the UK did not recognise the legitimacy of the new Venezuelan regime installed by Maduro's deputy, Delcy Rodriguez.
Earlier, Sir Keir had asserted that the "vast majority" of Labour MPs opposed Maduro's "abhorrent" regime and that the UK's position remained focused on achieving a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela.
Criticism, however, was not confined to the opposition. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised Sir Keir for avoiding parliamentary scrutiny, while Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh mocked the Prime Minister for his fence-sitting, linking it to domestic border policy. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey stated clearly that the US had broken international law, warning such actions would embolden authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
