UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has defended the United States’ military operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, describing the action as “morally right” despite ongoing legal and diplomatic controversy.
Badenoch made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, where she said she did not fully understand the legal basis for the operation but argued that Maduro presided over a brutal authoritarian regime.
“Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally, I do think it was the right thing to do,” she said, adding, “I’m glad he’s gone.”
Drawing on her personal experiences, Badenoch said her upbringing 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,” she said.
However, the Conservative leader cautioned that the US raid raised “serious questions about the rules-based order” and stressed that such interventions should not be equated with actions involving democratic states.
She cited Greenland as an example, noting that the territory’s future was a matter for Denmark and its people to decide, underscoring the need to respect democratic sovereignty.
The UK government has so far avoided directly condemning the US action, instead describing Maduro as an “illegitimate president.” Opposition parties, including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and the Scottish National Party (SNP), have urged the government to formally denounce the operation and declare it illegal under international law.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the government’s position, arguing that the prime minister is acting in the UK’s national interest and in the “best interests of the people of Venezuela.”
Critics, however, have expressed concern about the broader implications of the raid. Labour MP Emily Thornberry warned that the action could embolden countries such as Russia and China, calling on the UK to clearly articulate its stance on international law.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had reminded her US counterpart of Washington’s obligations under international law, while maintaining that it was for the United States to set out the legal justification for its actions.
