FOREIGN Secretary Yvette Cooper has refused to say whether the large-scale strike by the United States on Venezuela constitutes a breach of international law.
The US carried out an operation overnight on Friday where the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, was captured and taken out of the country.
Maduro pleaded not guilty in court in New York on Monday after he was indicted along with his wife Cilia Flores on charges of "narco-terrorism".
Maduro’s government has accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations after video footage emerged showing multiple explosions in the country’s capital city.
Addressing the Commons on Monday evening, the Foreign Secretary said she had raised the "issue of international law" with her US counterpart, Mark Rubio – but she fell short of calling the actions of the US a breach of international law.
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer also previously refused to be drawn on the matter, instead telling reporters that the situation was “complicated” and it was “for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that it’s taken”.
Among the international laws the US could be at risk of breaching, if it provides no justification for the attacks, is the founding charter of the United Nations.
Article 2 of the UN charter says all members should refrain from “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”.
Cooper told MPs: “In my discussions with Secretary Rubio, I raised the importance of complying with international law and we will continue to urge all partners to do so.
“It is, of course, for the US to set out the legal basis for their actions and the UN Security Council is discussing Venezuela this afternoon. These issues will continue to be matters for international discussion.
“I discussed with Secretary Rubio what should happen next and our continued commitment to a transition to a peaceful and stable democracy.
“Our collective immediate focus must be on avoiding any deterioration in Venezuela into further instability, criminality, repression or violence that would be deeply damaging for the people of Venezuela, our own overseas territories, our allies and in the US and other regional partners.”
Following the statement, Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Emily Thornberry, argued the US' actions in Venezuela “should be called out, not just by Britain, but by our Western allies”.
She said: “We should be calling it out for what it is, a breach of international law. It is not for the country that is breaking the law to say whether or not it has broken the law. It is for the West surely to stand up and say, call it as it is.
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“Doesn’t she therefore share my concern that there might be a profound risk of international norms changing if we don’t do that, it may become OK?”
Cooper replied: “I know that she and I would probably agree that a man who is currently being investigated for crimes against humanity and who has such a history of political repression as well as economic destruction and corruption should not be leading a country.”
The Foreign Secretary also said the UK is committed to international law, adding: “I have raised this issue of international law with Secretary of State Rubio and made clear that we will continue to urge all countries to follow it.”
Meanwhile, LibDem leader Ed Davey said the Labour Government's refusal to brand Trump's actions "a clear breach of international law" looks "ridiculous".
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“Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator, but that does not give President Trump a free pass for illegal action," he said.
“This wasn’t about liberating the Venezuelan people. Trump’s refusal to back Nobel Prize winner Maria Machado, Maduro’s brave liberal opponent, shows Trump has no interest in Venezuelan democracy. This is about Trump believing he can grab anything he wants and get away with it – this time, oil.
“We know what happens when an American president launches an illegal war under the pretext of an imminent threat – it’s why we oppose the Iraq war and why we condemn Trump today. National sovereignty matters, international law matters without them, the world is far more dangerous and we are all less safe.”
He added: “Does the Foreign Secretary not realise how ridiculous it looks to refuse to call this what it is a clear breach of international law?”
In her reply, Cooper said: “The most important thing now for Venezuela is for it to have a transition to democracy.”
A protest was organised by Stop the War Coalition outside Downing Street as the statement was being delivered on Monday evening.
Several hundred protesters gathered to call for "no war on Venezuela" and "no blood for oil".
Your Party co-founder and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also addressed the demonstration, where he branded the actions of the US an "aggression against the poorest people in the poorest countries in the world".
"Donald Trump is not interested in international law, he's only interested in power," he said.
"What this is really about is a US grab of the natural resources of Latin America."
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