Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has publicly defended the United States’ military operation that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, calling the raid “morally right” despite widespread legal criticism and diplomatic fallout.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, Badenoch acknowledged the legal basis for the intervention was not fully clear but insisted the removal of Maduro was justified.
“Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally, I do think it was the right thing to do,” she stated. “He was overseeing a brutal regime, and I am glad he’s gone.”
Badenoch linked her stance to personal experience, noting, “I grew up under a military dictatorship in Nigeria, so I know what it’s like to have someone like Maduro in charge.”
However, she cautioned that the unilateral action raised “serious questions about the rules-based international order,” stressing that such an operation would not be justified in a democratic context.
The UK government has so far refrained from directly condemning the US move, having long regarded Maduro as an “illegitimate president.” Health Secretary Wes Streeting backed the government’s cautious stance, arguing the Prime Minister was acting in the UK’s national interest and that of the Venezuelan people.
In contrast, UK opposition parties—including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, and the SNP—have united in calling for the government to condemn the operation as illegal. Critics warn that the raid sets a dangerous precedent that could be exploited by nations like Russia and China.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed she had reminded her US counterpart of obligations under international law but said it was ultimately for Washington to provide a legal justification for its actions.
The raid has sparked a sharp divide between moral arguments for intervention and strict adherence to international law, leaving the UK government navigating a delicate diplomatic position.
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