Lord Sikka
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to impose sanctions against the United States in response to its actions in Venezuela.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)
My Lords, the US is the UK’s principal defence and security partner. We do not have plans to impose sanctions on the US. We will continue to discuss evolving situations with our US counterparts as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate Government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.
Lord Sikka (Lab)
My Lords, in direct violation of Article 2(4) of the UN charter, the US has attacked Venezuela and kidnapped its President and his wife. The Prime Minister has failed to condemn the aggression and violation of international law, which will inevitably embolden Trump to annex other territories. Can the Minister explain why the Government have not imposed sanctions on the US, as they have on other gangster states, for violating the territorial integrity of a UN member state?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
The United Kingdom Government work for the benefit of the United Kingdom’s people and it would not be in the British interest to impose sanctions on our closest intelligence and security partner. This relationship goes back decades; it is deep and it is serious. My noble friend’s Question, I am afraid, is simply not serious.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, a few hours ago, the United States carried out an operation in the North Atlantic to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker which originated in Venezuela, using military assets from UK bases. Were the UK Government consulted in advance on this and are they satisfied that this operation is indeed lawful?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Of course, I am aware of the events in the North Atlantic. I understand that the Defence Secretary will shortly be making some remarks about this and I think it is better to allow the House to be updated properly in due course on this quickly evolving matter.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)
My Lords, before Maduro was captured, it was about drug trafficking. After he was captured, it was about oil. Now the regime is cracking down and Venezuelans are suffering, but the US threatens Colombia, Mexico and Greenland, not forgetting Canada. Are the UK Government capable of making it clear to the US that sovereignty is not just for the United States and that annexation for personal gain and commercial exploitation is not only unacceptable but incompatible with support for democracy and human rights?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
The United Kingdom’s support for international law and for human rights is unwavering and has not changed. The actions of the United States are for the United States to explain, and that includes how it sits in relation to international law.
Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the American action against Venezuela is reminiscent of the school playground, where the leader of our gang, to whom we have pledged loyalty, begins to act like the school bully?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
No. In all of this, I think the thing that matters most and that is often lost in these exchanges is that the people of Venezuela have been badly served and abused for many years. They deserve a Government who put them first, and they have not had that. We have not had a legitimate Government in Venezuela for some time; there is the prospect of that happening. I think it is a good thing that Nicolás Maduro is no longer responsible for running Venezuela.
The Lord Bishop of Chester
My Lords, I agree with the Minister on the importance of stable government for the future of Venezuela. Could she advise the House on whether we are investing in diplomatic relationships with all legitimate partners who might form any future Government, so that we can play our part in the future stability of that sovereign nation, and on whether the UK Government have any plans to follow Canada’s fine example, as reported in today’s i newspaper, of establishing full consular provision in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I am not able to comment on the capital of Greenland, but I can confirm that our relationships with relevant parties in Venezuela have been led most impressively by our small team in Caracas. It is the only team of any Five Eyes country that has maintained its presence there in recent years. I think that was the right decision and that those relationships will prove beneficial, as the very difficult and precarious nature of the transition now to a legitimate Government in Venezuela takes place.
Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)
Can the Minister confirm that the British Government did not recognise the presidency of Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and that, if it were not for the American action, he would still be there, brutalising his people and debauching the economy of a potentially very rich country?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I think that, from a factual perspective, that is indeed correct.
Lord Beamish (Lab)
My Lords, I do not want the Minister to comment on events in the North Atlantic, but does she agree that the UK has a proud tradition of enforcing international maritime law, especially against unregistered vessels and those being used, for example, in the grey fleet, and that we should support allies who are doing the same?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Yes, I do agree with my noble friend on that.
Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)
My Lords, the Minister has repeated today that we have been the only Five Eyes country to have a diplomatic presence in Caracas. The Minister told me last night in the House that the British Government were not informed prior to the US bombing Caracas, where our diplomatic presence is very close to where those bombs landed. Have we complained diplomatically to our ally, the United States, about this?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Our team in Caracas is now out of crisis mode. They are back working; I have received updates from them today and I will continue to do so. They are safe and well and doing their jobs ably, as they have been able to do for the last few years.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, President Trump is displaying total disrespect for international law in his actions in Venezuela, and threatening the right of self-determination for the people of Greenland and the sovereignty of Denmark. Is the idea of the West as a geopolitical unit linking the US, Europe and other nations in a set of shared values and principles, now dead?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
No, clearly not. Our position on Greenland has been expressed very forcefully by the Prime Minister and our allies. It is for the people of Greenland and the kingdom of Denmark to determine the future of Greenland.
Lord Bellingham (Con)
My Lords, I entirely agree with what the Minister had to say about the unpleasantness of President Maduro; we are well rid of him. She mentioned international law. Can she expand on that? For example, if China launched a military operation on Taiwan and abducted Lai Ching-te, or if Putin launched a raid on Warsaw and abducted Donald Tusk, she would say that both actions were gross abuses of international law and would demand multiple sanctions and the immediate recall of the Security Council. Can she give a legal explanation of why those two examples would be obvious breaches of international law but the American raid and abduction are not?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
It is not for me to say whether it is or not. My point is that it is for the United States to explain its actions and where it feels they sit within the context of international law. That is the position of our Government and of many of our allies in the European Union.
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen (Lab)
I refer to the statement made the other night by European leaders in defence of the territorial integrity of Greenland. Clearly, NATO and its own integrity are of huge importance for the stability of the western hemisphere as a whole and, therefore, we must welcome the way in which European allies stood firm and were quite clear in the message that they gave.
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I completely agree with my noble friend. The premise of the original Question encourages the Government to sanction the United States. Nobody would be more pleased than Vladimir Putin if the United Kingdom and the United States had that kind of fracture in our relationship. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves who stands for what in the world. We stand for international law and we condemn utterly what has happened in Ukraine. We know the difference; there is not a moral equivalence between what has happened in Caracas and what has been happening with the theft of children from Ukraine to Russia, the relentless bombing of infrastructure and civilians, and the destruction of energy infrastructure in the depths of winter in Ukraine.