UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has described the recent US military operation in Venezuela as morally justified, even though she expressed uncertainty about its legal framework.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Badenoch said she understood the rationale behind the intervention, given Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s repressive rule. “Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally, I do think it was the right thing to do,” she remarked.
Badenoch acknowledged that the action raises broader questions about international law and the rules-based global order but argued that her support stems from having grown up under military rule in Nigeria, giving her perspective on authoritarian regimes. She also stressed that such interventions should not be applied universally, citing Greenland as an example where local sovereignty must be respected.
While the UK government has refrained from officially condemning the US operation, opposition parties have urged a formal denunciation, calling the action illegal under international law.
