UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has defended the United States’ military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
According to Badenoch, the action is “morally right” despite legal and diplomatic concerns.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Badenoch said she did not fully understand the legal basis for the raid but argued that Maduro presided over a “brutal regime” and that his removal was justified on moral grounds.
“Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally, I do think it was the right thing to do,” she said.
Drawing on her personal history, Badenoch added that growing up in Nigeria under military rule shaped her views on authoritarian leadership.
“I grew up under a military dictatorship, so I know what it’s like to have someone like Maduro in charge.”
However, she acknowledged that the operation raised “serious questions about the rules-based order,” stressing that such interventions were fundamentally different from involvement in democratic states.
She cited Greenland as an example, saying its future should rightly be decided by Denmark and its people.
The UK government has not openly criticised the US action, instead describing Maduro as an “illegitimate president.” But sole Labour members and opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the SNP, have urged the government to formally condemn the raid and declare it unlawful.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the government’s cautious stance, saying the prime minister was acting in the UK’s national interest and in what he described as the “best interests of the people of Venezuela.”
But critics, including Labour lawmaker Emily Thornberry, warned that the operation could set a dangerous precedent and insisted Britain must clearly reaffirm its commitment to international law.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had reminded her US counterpart of the United States’ obligations under international law, but maintained that it was for the United States to explain the legal justification for its actions.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in an initial reaction on Saturday, said the UK was not involved in the operation and was focused on protecting British nationals in Venezuela.
“The situation in Venezuela is fast-moving. We will establish all the facts and speak to allies. Our embassy in Caracas is working to ensure that all British nationals in Venezuela are supported,” he said.
“I haven’t spoken to President (Donald) Trump yet. What I can say is that the UK is not involved in any way in this operation. We will talk to allies, but at the moment we need to establish the facts.”
On Monday, Starmer further described the US action as “not straightforward,” stressing that it was up to Washington to justify the raid.
“What we need in Venezuela is a peaceful transition to democracy. That was our position before this weekend, and it remains our position,” he told reporters, according to Reuters.
“International law is the framework, the anchor, against which we judge the actions of all governments. And it is, of course, for the United States to justify the action that it has taken. It’s complicated, and there are still further developments,” he added.
Trump announced over the weekend that American forces had captured Maduro and his wife, who are now being held in the United States and were arraigned yesterday at a New York Court.
