Kemi Badenoch Defends Trump’s Venezuela Raid as ‘Morally’ Right

Kemi Badenoch has broken ranks with much of the British political establishment by publicly defending Donald Trump’s controversial raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, describing the operation as “morally the right thing to do.”

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Conservative leader argued that traditional faith in a rules-based international order is increasingly outdated, suggesting that global politics no longer operates within the confines of international law as it once did.

Her comments place her at odds with most senior UK politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who have carefully criticised the US action while reaffirming Britain’s commitment to international law. In Parliament, MPs from across the political spectrum have called for a firmer response to what many see as a clear breach of Venezuelan sovereignty.

Badenoch acknowledged that the raid raised serious legal questions but insisted that moral considerations should take precedence. “Where the legal certainty is not yet clear, morally I do think it was the right thing to do,” she said, pointing to Venezuela’s long-standing political repression.

Drawing on her personal background, Badenoch said her views were shaped by growing up under military dictatorship in Nigeria. “I know what it’s like to live under a brutal regime,” she said, adding that she understood why Venezuelans might welcome Maduro’s removal. “I’m not condemning the US.”

When asked whether she believed the deployment of US special forces to seize a foreign head of state was justified, Badenoch replied unequivocally: “Morally, yes.”

She also challenged comparisons with Margaret Thatcher’s condemnation of the US invasion of Grenada in 1983, arguing that the global context had fundamentally changed. According to Badenoch, international law exists only as long as nations agree to uphold it, and once those agreements break down, enforcement becomes meaningless.

“There’s no world police, no world government,” she said. “These are agreements. Once people decide they don’t agree, there is no international law.”

Badenoch further echoed arguments made by Trump allies, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who recently stated that global affairs are governed by power rather than rules. While stopping short of endorsing the language outright, Badenoch suggested that reality increasingly reflects that view.

She argued that Western nations are clinging to assumptions formed after the Cold War, while rival powers such as Russia, Iran and China openly disregard established norms. Referencing Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Badenoch said Venezuela had effectively already been “invaded” through foreign influence long before the US operation.

The remarks represent one of the clearest endorsements yet by a senior UK politician of Trump’s increasingly force-driven foreign policy and are likely to spark controversy both within Britain and internationally. Polling suggests most Britons remain sceptical of military interventions that bypass international law.