By David Milliken
LONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday he was not sad that Nicolas Maduro is no longer president of Venezuela following a U.S. military raid, but he wanted this to lead to a more democratic government.
“The UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime,” Starmer said in an official statement.
Earlier, Starmer said Britain, historically one of the United States’ closest allies, played no role in the military operation and that he wanted to speak with President Donald Trump to better understand the situation.
It is unclear how Trump plans to oversee Venezuela. Despite a dramatic overnight operation that knocked out electricity in part of Caracas and captured Maduro, U.S. forces have no control over the country itself, and Maduro’s government appears to still be in charge.
“The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with U.S. 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,” Starmer said in his latest statement.
In an earlier statement to broadcasters and a subsequent BBC interview, Starmer – a former human rights lawyer – stressed the importance of international law but did not say whether he thought Trump’s actions broke it.
“I always say and believe we should all uphold international law,” he told broadcasters.
Starmer has sought to stay on good terms with Trump and has adopted a less publicly critical approach than most other European leaders.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party which tops opinion polls, said he believed the U.S. actions broke international law “but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.”
The leaders of the left-leaning Liberal Democrat and Green parties have both criticised Trump, and Starmer’s decision not to take a tougher line, while the opposition Conservative Party, the second-largest in parliament, welcomed Maduro’s departure.
(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Toby Chopra and Chris Reese)
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