British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had refrained from directly criticising the U.S. raid on Venezuela. The PM’s rather subdued statement comes amidst calls from Labour Party MPs to be critical of the U.S. aggression against Venezuela.
Wes Streeting, as a cabinet minister, has defended Sir Keir Starmer’s statement. Streeting opined that in his wisely worded statement, the PM demonstrated extreme caution.
In his defence of the PM’s statement, Streeting focused on improving a complex and challenging situation. So, caution was exercised instead of making this highly sensitive situation any worse. Streeting believed that the controversial PM’s statement had been made in the best interests of many nationalities. Therefore, this PM’s statement aimed to safeguard Europe’s collective security interests. Simultaneously, it also addressed the best interests of the Venezuelan people.
Streeting expressed his view that Venezuela witnessed a likely compromise of a rules-based system during a talk show with BBC Breakfast. He also expressed concern that a world without rules would compromise everyone’s safety. As such, on the topic of U.S. aggression in Venezuela directly, the British PM has stopped short of criticising the U.S. Europe is still vastly dependent on Washington’s resourceful support towards providing Ukraine with security guarantees.
International law should be the main focus in the future for Venezuela’s betterment, said Streeting on Monday, 5 January. It was now up to the U.S. to justify its aggression against Venezuela, he added. Some Labour backbenchers have meanwhile mounted pressure on Streeting. His move was in condemning Washington’s aggression on Caracas, witnessed worldwide on Saturday, 3 January. The then-Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, was captured and forcefully extradited by U.S. forces to New York.
Protesters gathered outside 10 Downing Street. A complete halt to the U.S. aggression against Venezuela was what the protestors had called for.
The chairperson of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee is Dame Emily Thornberry. She was one of the critics. Thornberry, too, believed that the U.S. action on Venezuela was a breach of international law.
