Labour tears itself apart in civil war over Maduro capture | UK | News
When Sir Keir Starmer came to No 10, he made clear that respect for international law would be at the heart of his leadership.
That promise is now under pressure after Britain’s closest ally launched an operation in a sovereign state and detained its leader, leaving the Prime Minister with a serious political dilemma, the Telegraph newspaper reports.
Donald TrumpThe arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores risks becoming a serious problem for Sir Keir as he tries to consolidate his leadership after a difficult year.
After investing political capital in forging a cautious but cordial relationship with the unpredictable US president, the Labor leader must now weigh that connection against his own declared values and growing unrest among his own backbenchers, where some MPs have long defended the Venezuelan government.
Pressure from the Labor left
Richard Burgon, chairman of the Socialist Campaign Group, called on Sir Keir to “stand up to Trump’s gangster politics” and said he “should respond to Trump’s illegal bombings and kidnappings in the same way he would if Putin had carried them out.”
“Keir Starmer either believes in international law or he doesn’t,” he added.
As the international reaction continues, the Prime Minister is being pulled in different directions.
One source of pressure is coming from the Workers’ Left, which has already pushed for the reversal of several policies and is now calling for an unequivocal condemnation of Mr. Maduro’s arrest.
Starmer ‘must take a tougher stance’ on Trump
Labor MPs Jon Trickett, Kim Johnson and Kate Osborne echoed Mr Burgon’s comments, urging Sir Keir to take a tougher line against Mr Trump.
John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, also questioned how the US action differed from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The long-serving MP, who is a leading figure in the Socialist Campaign Group, had previously described the Venezuelan system as “socialism in action” and later said the country had “taken the wrong path”.
He has faced criticism in the past, including claims that his support for a four-day working week in 2019 was an attempt to steer Britain towards Venezuela’s economic model.
Reacting to initial reports of the US operation, Mr McDonnell said: “If this is true, without any legal sanction, without any UN resolution, what is the difference in international law between Trump’s attack on Venezuela and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine?
“If the UK Government stands for the rule of law, Keir Starmer should condemn it.”
Criticism from commentators increases
Left-wing writer Owen Jones expressed a similar view. He wrote about X: “Keir Starmer knows the facts: The US brazenly violated international law by attacking Venezuela.
“He won’t say that because he’s halfway up Donald Trump’s ass.”
These interventions point to a second consideration shaping Sir Keir’s response: his own legal opinion and the advice of his closest legal confidant, Lord Hermer.
The Prime Minister has consistently presented himself as a defender of the rule of law and has regularly emphasized the need for nations to comply with international agreements.
Labour’s election manifesto promised to “once again be a good partner for international development and a defender of the rule of international law”.
Lord Hermer, the attorney-general and Sir Keir’s long-time partner, has previously argued that adherence to international law benefits people in the UK.
Starmer can’t commit
He also said the UK aims to “lead on matters of international law” on the global stage.
Despite this, Sir Keir refused to say whether he believed Mr Trump had breached international law and said more detail was needed.
Media figures intensified the scrutiny.
Speaking on the News Agents podcast, Lewis Goodall said: “The US essentially invaded a sovereign country without the consent of the United Nations.
“He kidnapped a sitting head of state and did so not under international law but under his own national law, which has no jurisdiction.”
Former Conservative MP and co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast Rory Stewart argued that Europe needs to “wake up to the threat posed by the US”.
Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson warned that Mr Trump’s push for “forced regime change” would weaken America’s position if China took action against Taiwan.
Balancing principles and diplomacy
The third factor weighing on Sir Keir is his determination to preserve his carefully managed relationship with the US president.
The prime minister has made a sustained effort to engage Mr. Trump in the hope of securing trade deals, largely avoiding direct public criticism.
Sir Keir now must decide whether intervening in Venezuela represents a serious enough transgression to justify defying Washington, or whether maintaining diplomatic ties is a priority.
