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07
Jan
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP urges PM to condemn Trump over Venezuela
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Tom Gordon, has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to condemn Donald Trump for “illegal actions” in Venezuela.
The United States military carried out an operation on January 3, which saw President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, removed from the country in a move which has led to accusations the US flouted international law.
The UK government has so far avoided criticising US President Donald Trump over the matter, but described Maduro as an “illegitimate president”.
The Stray Ferret has contacted the three MPs whose constituencies include the Harrogate district for their views.
Neither Sir Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, nor Sir Alec Shelbrooke, the Conservative MP for Wetherby and Easingworld, has responded.
However, Mr Gordon called on the Prime Minister to condemn what he described as “illegal actions” in Venezuela.
The Liberal Democrat MP said:
Keir Starmer must condemn Donald Trump’s illegal actions in Venezuela.
Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but Trump’s unlawful attacks are not the solution – they only make the world less safe.
Britain cannot stay silent or bow to bullies like Trump. Doing so would signal dangerous weakness. We must uphold international law and stand united against his threats and aggression.
His comments come as Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, condemned President Trump’s “law-breaking in Venezuela” in a speech in the House of Commons on Monday (January 5).
Meanwhile, Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs committee, said the UK should "be clearer that this has been a breach of international law".
But, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the US operation was the right thing to do “morally”.
Maduro and his wife appeared in a New York courtroom on Monday where they pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapon charges.
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