Government to handle nation from 2.30pm at the moment as Keir Starmer criticism mounts
The US flexed it’s military and intelligence capabilities on Saturday when they ‘captured’ Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in a top secret strike that shocked the world
Yvette Cooper is expected to address the nation in the place of Keir Starmer today after the US ‘kidnaped’ Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
The controversial South American leader was taken to the US in a top secret military operation over the weekend. The world has been in shock of the sudden strike which 80 civilians were killed in.
Keir Starmer has, so far, refused to say if the strikes broke international laws as he told the BBC on Sunday he was waiting for all the facts. He later called Maduro an “illegitimate president”.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is now said to be preparing to make a statement to the House of Commons following the American operation in Venezuela over the weekend.
Maduro is due to appear in New York court on Monday after he was indicted alongside his wife on charges of “narco-terrorism”. Home Office minister Mike Tapp, who revealed plans for the statement, was reluctant however to say whether the UK believed America had breached international law.
He told Sky News there was a need to have “all the facts” amid the “fog of war” before making such an allegation. Mr Tapp added: “We will see later today – well, an application has gone into the Speaker – for a statement from the Foreign Secretary later today, so there may well be more detail on that.”
The UN Security Council, of which the UK is a permanent member, is due to meet on Monday to discuss the operation in Venezuela. Mr Tapp would not reveal whether Britain plans to abstain on any vote during the meeting, as reported by the Times.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is facing criticisms from within Labour, as well as some opposition critics, over his stance on the US president. The PM has argued that a close relationship with America is critical for security and defence.
Asked whether he would condemn the military action in Venezuela on Saturday, Sir Keir said he wanted to wait to “establish the facts” and speak to Mr Trump, and later insisted the UK would “shed no tears” over the end of Maduro’s regime.
Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson questioned whether “we as a country still stand for international law and sovereignty”, while Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon described the Prime Minister’s statement as “shameful and reckless”.
The removal of Maduro is seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and followed months of pressure from Washington on the country and its autocratic leader.
Widespread protests followed Maduro’s apparent victory in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, amid accusations that electoral fraud led to him retaining power.
He was also accused of human rights abuses and corruption during his leadership.
Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, has indicated she hopes to work with the US now she is the country’s interim leader.
The Trump administration has not indicated support for replacing the ruling regime with a government led by Maduro’s opposition rival Maria Corina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Elsewhere, Mr Trump has suggested that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention, recently telling the Atlantic magazine: “We do need Greenland, absolutely.”
Mr Tapp appeared unwilling to give a full-throated rebuttal of the US president’s desire to take over Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark, a Nato ally of both Britain and America.
He told Sky that Venezuela and Greenland were “obviously different” situations, but suggested it was for Denmark and the US to discuss, adding: “It’s for Nato to have that solid anchor to ensure that there is no division here.”
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