Exclusive: In first comments since US attack on Venezuela, Richard Hermer refrains from singling out Trump administration
Nations are right to consider diplomatic relations when deciding whether to “call out” potential breaches of international law, the attorney general has said, after the UK government faced criticism over its reluctance to condemn the US attack on Venezuela.
In an interview with the Guardian, Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior law officer and a close ally of Keir Starmer, said that in a “complicated and dangerous” world, leaders should be able to use “statecraft” to consider other factors when establishing whether to hold allies to account.
In his first public comments since Britain’s reaction to the US attack on Venezuela and threats toward Greenland, Hermer refrained from singling out the Trump administration, insisting that his comments were theoretical rather than aimed at any individual country. But his intervention comes amid domestic questions over the UK’s ability to influence the White House.
MPs on the left of the Labour party, as well as senior Labour figures including the Welsh leader, Eluned Morgan, and chair of the foreign affairs committee, Emily Thornberry, have called for a more robust approach to Trump’s actions. On Monday, Thornberry said: “We need to be clearer that this has been a breach of international law and we do not agree that they should have done it.”
