Starmer won’t be drawn on whether US strikes on Venezuela broke international law

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether or not US President Donald Trump’s military action against Venezuela may have broken international law.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning, the prime minister did not condemn the US strikes.

He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not “shy away from this”, adding he was a “lifelong advocate of international law”.

Sir Keir earlier said the UK had not been involved in Saturday’s large-scale strikes on Venezuela and he had not spoken to Trump about the operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

Later on Saturday, the prime minister posted on X that the UK “regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime”.

“The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” he added.

The government is working with the UK embassy in Caracas to ensure around 500 British citizens in Venezuela are safeguarded and get appropriate advice.

The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Venezuela, and said any British nationals already living in the country should “shelter in place” or “be prepared to change your plans quickly if necessary”.

As part of a wide-ranging interview, the PM was pressed on developments in Venezuela and whether he felt international law had been upheld.

“I want to get all the material facts together, and we simply haven’t got the full picture at the moment,” Sir Keir told the BBC. “It’s fast moving, and we need to piece that together.

“I can be really clear with you that there was no UK involvement in this operation. I then need to speak to President Trump, I need to speak our allies, but I don’t shy away from this.

“I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law and the importance of compliance with international law.

“But I want to ensure that I’ve got all the facts at my disposal, and we haven’t got that at the moment. And we need to get that before we come to a decision about the consequences in relation to the actions that have been taken.”

During a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said the US was going to “run” Venezuela until “a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place”.

He earlier said Venezuela’s left-wing president and his wife Cilia Flores were flown out of Caracas in a military operation in conjunction with US law enforcement.

Elite Delta Force soldiers were used in the raid to capture them, according to the BBC’s North American partner, CBS News.

Maduro has been indicted on drugs and weapon charges, according to US officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he anticipates no further action against Venezuela.

Strikes inside Venezuela come after sustained US pressure against the Maduro government.

The Trump administration has described its military action in the region in recent weeks as part of a non-international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers, whom it accuses of conducting irregular warfare against the US.

A former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court told the BBC the US military campaign more generally fell into the category of a planned, systematic attack against civilians during peacetime.

In response, the White House said it had acted in line with the laws of armed conflict to protect the US from cartels “trying to bring poison to our shores… destroying American lives”.

Separately in his BBC interview, Sir Keir said the UK faced a “more volatile world” but would not say if Trump was contributing to global instability, adding that he and US president “do get on”.

“I do think that we’re in a more volatile world than we have been for many, many years,” Sir Keir said.

“And I’m really struck by the fact that what is happening internationally has much more of a direct impact on the UK than at any time that most of us can remember.

“It is my responsibility to make sure that relationship works as the prime minister of this country, working with the president of the United States.

“And not only have I stepped up to that responsibility, I have made it my business, and I do get on with President Trump.”

The military action in Venezuela has drawn reaction from across the UK political spectrum.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “not going to rush to judgement”, and said there had been “a lot of noise from people who couldn’t find Venezuela on a map yesterday”.

“I’m more interested in what Venezuelans risking their lives for democracy have to say,” she added.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said “nobody will shed tears” that Maduro had been “removed”.

She said: “We have always strongly condemned Maduro’s brutal and repressive regime and the Conservative government did not consider Maduro’s administration as legitimate.

“We await the full facts about the US operation which has removed Maduro and we want to see the Venezuelan people enjoy democratic norms and freedoms.

“This is clearly a very serious geopolitical moment.”

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said: “The Maduro regime is without doubt illegitimate and authoritarian but it is absolutely essential that all nations act within the international rules based system.”

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, and Green Party leader Zack Polanski have both urged Sir Keir to condemn the US actions.

“Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but unlawful attacks like this make us all less safe,” Sir Ed said. “Trump is giving a green light to the likes of Putin and Xi to attack other countries with impunity.”

Polanski described the US military strike as “illegal” and a “breach of international human rights law”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the “unorthodox” military operation by the US could prove a deterrent to future Russian and Chinese aggression.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the situation in Venezuela was being closely monitored and urged the UN Charter to “be respected”.