YVETTE Cooper is expected to lay out the UK Government’s response to the US capture of Nicolas Maduro in the House of Commons on Monday, a minister has said.
The Foreign Secretary is likely to make a statement to MPs following the American operation in Venezuela over the weekend, which saw the capture of its president, Maduro.
He is due to appear in New York court on Monday after he was indicted alongside his wife on charges of “narco-terrorism”.
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Several opposition MPs and Labour MPs had called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make the statement. Here’s all you need to know about the speech.
When is Yvette Cooper’s statement and how can I watch?
The statement is expected this afternoon and will be available to view through Parliament TV.
You can find a link to the Parliament player HERE.
What is the UK Government's position on Venezuela?
Home Office minister Mike Tapp, who revealed plans for the statement, was reluctant to say whether the UK believed America had breached international law.
He told Sky News there was a need to have “all the facts” amid the “fog of war” before making such an allegation.
Tapp added: “We will see later today – well, an application has gone into the Speaker – for a statement from the Foreign Secretary later today, so there may well be more detail on that.”
The UN Security Council, of which the UK is a permanent member, is due to meet on Monday to discuss the operation in Venezuela.
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Tapp would not reveal whether Britain plans to abstain on any vote during the meeting, as reported by the Times.
The minister would also not be drawn into saying whether the Government believes the removal of Maduro was influenced by the South American nation’s rich oil reserves.
Asked why he thought US president Donald Trump had instigated the operation, the Home Office said: “This is for Donald Trump to answer, and I think he has said in his press conference, which I watched with interest, around narco-terrorism and that threat.”
Pressed by the broadcaster whether Venezuela’s vast oil wealth may have influenced the operation, Tapp replied: “It’s not for me or the British Government at this point to go into that detail.
“It’s for the United States to lay out its legal basis for this operation.”
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump revealed his plans to “fix” Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of the fuel to other nations.
The removal of Maduro is seen as the most assertive US intervention to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and followed months of pressure from Washington on the country and its autocratic leader.
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