Yvette Cooper is expected to update the Commons on the US removal of Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela.
Yvette Cooper is expected to lay out the 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”.
.@YvetteCooperMP today talking to the FCDO staff working on the UK’s response to the situation in Venezuela, including providing consular support to any British nationals requiring help or advice. pic.twitter.com/0N1gRNduUU
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) January 4, 2026
Home Office minister Mike Tapp, who revealed plans for the statement, was reluctant however 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.
Mr 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.
.@volker_turk alarmed by U.S. intervention in Venezuela.We urge everyone to exercise restraint and fully respect the UN Charter and international human rights law.The protection of people in Venezuela is paramount and must guide any further action. https://t.co/kFYXfAGas5
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) January 3, 2026
Mr 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, Mr Tapp replied: “It’s not for me or the British Government at this point to go into that detail.
1/ The UK has consistently rejected Nicolas Maduro’s legitimacy, and called for a peaceful transition of power in Venezuela.
I have spoken to our Chargé in Caracas, and travel advice has now been updated to advise against all travel to Venezuela. https://t.co/xuq0FSk5FD
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) January 3, 2026
“It’s for the United States to lay out its legal basis for this operation.”
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Mr 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.
