Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government is facing a significant internal crisis following the Prime Minister's measured response to a dramatic US military operation in Venezuela. The move has ignited fury among the party's hard-left faction, who are demanding President Donald Trump be treated as a pariah akin to Vladimir Putin.
Starmer's 'No Tears' Remark Sparks Fury
The row erupted after Sir Keir stated on Saturday night that his administration would 'shed no tears' over the end of Nicolas Maduro's regime. This came hours after US President Donald Trump confirmed that Venezuelan leader Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured in Caracas and indicted on 'narco-terrorism' charges. They were reportedly flown out of the country aboard the US warship Iwo Jima, bound for New York.
While the Prime Minister added the caveat that he remained a supporter of international law, his comments provoked immediate uproar from MPs historically sympathetic to the Maduro government. The US action, involving explosions and low-flying aircraft in the Venezuelan capital early on Saturday, has been branded a 'coup' by critics.
Hard-Left Backlash and Internal Clash
Former shadow minister and prominent Corbyn ally, Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, led the charge. He called the PM's statement 'shameful and reckless'. "The Prime Minister should respond to an illegal bombing and kidnapping by Trump in exactly the way he would if Putin had carried it out," Burgon declared on X. "Either Keir Starmer believes in international law - or he doesn't. You can't pick and choose."
However, the criticism was swiftly countered by other Labour figures. David Taylor, the MP for Hemel Hempstead, hit back at Burgon, highlighting his 'long history of support for the Maduro regime' and his multiple appearances on Russian state TV. "Maduro was a dictator who killed, tortured and repressed Venezuelans," Taylor stated.
The dissent spread further. Apsana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said Starmer's support for Trump was "shameful and tremendously damaging to democracy". Clive Lewis, another former shadow minister from the Corbyn era, warned that the events in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Gaza showed that "when international law gives way to force, chaos and impunity follow".
Diplomatic Tightrope and Global Fallout
Caught between angering a key ally and alienating his party's left wing, Sir Keir's initial public comments were notably cautious. He told the BBC he wanted to 'establish the facts, and take it from there', emphasising the 'vitally important' UK-US relationship for defence and security.
Privately, however, officials expressed deeper concern. One diplomat suggested the US action, which had reportedly been wargamed, was "a recipe for anarchy" and that Number 10 seemed "paralysed". They called for the United Nations to oversee an immediate election in Venezuela.
The global response is now taking shape, with an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled for Monday. President Trump has already outlined plans to exploit Venezuela's leadership vacuum to 'fix' its oil infrastructure and sell 'large amounts' of fuel internationally.
The episode exposes the enduring fractures within the Labour Party over foreign policy, pitting the Prime Minister's pragmatic stance on the 'special relationship' against the ideological convictions of the socialist left. How Sir Keir navigates this crisis will have significant implications for both his authority at home and the UK's standing abroad.
