Keir Starmer confirmed last week that he was not consulted in advance of the US strike on Caracas. Photograph: Jack Taylor/AFP/GettyFormer British prime minister Harold Wilson used to say that a week was a long time in politics. “The events in Venezuela have shown that the prime minister is on the outside looking in, not respected abroad,” said Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Tories. In return the UK leader has secured carve-outs from some of Trump’s trade tariffs and promises of technology investment. “The prime minister set out his position on Greenland,” said the sparse official readout from the UK side, which was circulated at 10.39pm.

Source: The Irish Times January 09, 2026 20:35 UTC