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Kemi Badenoch says Trump’s Venezuela raid was ‘morally’ right – UK politics live
In a political manoeuvre that felt ripped straight from a campaign war room playbook, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has thrown a rhetorical grenade into the already febrile UK political landscape, declaring that Donald Trump’s controversial 2020 raid targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was ‘morally’ right. This wasn't just a stray comment; it was a calculated volley in a high-stakes media battle, delivered during a combative interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Badenoch’s gambit serves a dual purpose: it’s a direct challenge to the robustness of the so-called rules-based international order—a cornerstone of post-war Western foreign policy—and a bold attempt to outflank Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party on the nationalist right. By framing Trump’s extra-territorial operation, which involved a botched incursion by private mercenaries, as a morally justifiable act, Badenoch is signalling a seismic shift in Conservative positioning.She’s essentially arguing that the old playbook is obsolete, bluntly stating ‘the world has changed,’ and positioning herself as a politician unafraid to wield hard power rhetoric in an era she perceives as increasingly anarchic. This stance dovetails perfectly with her simultaneous offensive on domestic energy policy, where she pitched increased North Sea oil drilling as the Conservatives’ flagship growth policy—a clear rejection of net zero orthodoxy designed to resonate with voters feeling economic pinch.Her dismissal of Keir Starmer as weak and lacking an agenda, alongside her characterisation of Farage as a detail-averse ‘one-man band,’ completes the pincer movement: attacking the opposition for vacillation while neutralising the insurgent threat by claiming ideological primacy. Yet, the most revealing part of her interview wasn't the Trump defence or the energy pledge, but her pointed criticism of Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where she condemned the banning of 37 NGOs as ‘unjustifiable.’ This adds a layer of strategic complexity, suggesting a campaign aiming to blend populist, sovereignty-first rhetoric on some issues with a more conventionally interventionist, humanitarian line on others—a difficult balancing act designed to carve out a unique political territory. The immediate consequence is a further muddying of the UK’s foreign policy waters, potentially straining the ‘special relationship’ with a Biden administration deeply committed to that very rules-based order Badenoch questions.Historically, such explicit endorsement of another nation’s military adventures is rare for a serving UK minister, drawing parallels more with the Blair-Bush dynamic than any recent precedent. Analysts will be watching to see if this represents a genuine doctrinal shift within the Tory party or a high-risk, short-term tactical play to capture headlines and define the election battle on her terms. Either way, Badenoch has successfully launched the opening salvo in what promises to be a brutally strategic campaign, framing the coming election not just as a choice between parties, but as a referendum on Britain’s role in a world she insists no longer plays by the old rules.
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#Kemi Badenoch
#Trump Venezuela raid
#UK politics
#international order
#Gaza aid
#Conservative Party
