Trump and Venezuela

While many of us welcomed in the New Year with celebration and optimism, globally, 2026 has already brought chaos and uncertainty with consequences that will reach far beyond Venezuela and the Americas and right into communities like those in North East Fife.

The decision by the Trump Administration to carry out unilateral military action in Venezuela, forcibly removing President Maduro and his wife from the country, is deeply alarming. While Maduro’s long-standing repression of political opponents, civil society and journalists must never be excused, military intervention outside international law cannot be the answer. On Times Radio at the weekend, I pointed out that expectations in the terms of international law must be the same for all countries. As an example, the UK did not wait for Russia’s justification for its actions in Crimea in 2014 as it appears to be doing in relation to the US here.

When international law is undermined, it sends a dangerous signal to dictators everywhere that force, not diplomacy, gets results. Indeed, the doubling down by the Trump administration in relation to Greenland compounds this.

Despite claims of “saving Venezuelan democracy”, President Trump’s refusal to support Nobel Prize-winner Maria Corina Machado, the liberal opposition leader who was blocked from standing in last year’s election, exposes the hollowness of that argument. Democracy cannot be selectively defended.

We also cannot ignore Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Maduro’s unwillingness to grant US access to these resources raises serious questions about Trump’s motivation. Reports that oil companies were informed ahead of the intervention, alongside the fact that the US dollar is tied to oil prices, only add to the concern that economic self-interest has trumped democratic principle.

What is equally worrying is the silence from Downing Street. At a moment when the public deserves honesty and leadership, the Government appears reluctant to challenge the actions of the US President. Although its intervention on Greenland is welcome, overall this is the wrong approach.

The repercussions will be felt here at home. In North East Fife, we may see the knock-on effects through rising defence spending, further pressure on public finances, and increased uncertainty for communities linked to defence infrastructure. I will be seeking clarity on what this could mean for the future of the army base at Leuchars and for local jobs and investment. It’s clear that we needed to be prepared for further fracturing of global norms.