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No 10 refuses to comment as US reportedly seizing Venezuela-linked oil tanker

By Stephen Price
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg for the BBC1 current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Photo Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire

Downing Street has refused to comment on reports that the US is seizing a Venezuela-linked oil tanker which is travelling off British waters.

US forces are reportedly attempting to seize the Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella-1, which is said to have escaped Donald Trump’s “total naval blockade” of Venezuela.

No 10 said it would not comment on speculation, or the uses of British military bases by third parties.

The tanker appeared to be sailing northeast between Iceland and the UK on Wednesday.

Flight tracking websites showed US special operations aircraft have landing at a Scottish airport, Wick John O’Groats, before flying further north towards Iceland on Wednesday.

The U-28A aircraft are used by the US Air Force’s special operations command and are used for intelligence-gathering and co-ordinating other aircraft.

P8 Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft and KC-135 refueling planes have also been seen on flight tracking websites, heading to the area near the tanker.

Earlier on Tuesday, an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance plane was seen flying over the path of the tanker.

The US pursuit of the tanker comes after the Trump administration’s weekend raid on Venezuela, which led to the removal and capture of its then president Nicolas Maduro.

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3 comments

Jeff

Yeah, we did. trump is a thug and likes to force his minions to same crimes as he does.

Reply
John Ellis

'Downing Street has refused to comment on reports that the US is seizing a Venezuela-linked oil tanker which is travelling off British waters.' Starmer's government isn't going to comment critically on anything which the Orange Ghoul across the pond does, because his own government's priority is still to try, somehow, to keep the Trumptards 'on board' in respect of Europe's efforts to maintain international support for Ukraine. The hard reality is that even Europe as a whole - and already you can forget Hungary and Slovakia which have both elected Putin-friendly governments - isn't sufficiently resourced to provide everything which the Ukrainians will need in order to maintain their struggle with a hope of ultimate success. They need what only the USA can offer them. That may well not work in the long term as a strategy, because the Orange One clearly feels an affinity with powerful autocrats such as Putin since he clearly aspires to model himself on them. But, in the current absence of any other obvious alternative, Starmer still feels obliged to try.

Reply
Maesglas

Starmer's shameful reactions to Trump are becoming so predictable in these situations. He will only call someone out if it is safe to do so. Otherwise, he will duck and swerve, saying things like, "We will have to look into this."  This is unbefitting of someone who was a Human Rights Lawyer. But he does this so often. For example, when Netanyahu was being called to the Hague criminal court, and now Trump is breaking international law, his response in both situations was, "We shall have to look into the legality of this." Clearly hoping everyone will forget when the matter dies down. This is not good enough. Even Thatcher had no problem with calling out, unequivocally, her friend Reagan when he invaded Grenada. Starmer's response is pathetic and weak. Are we to assume that if we were invaded, then that "he should look into the legality of it?" The problem is that the more you appease a bully like Trump, the worse it becomes, as Hitler proved during World War II. Little wonder that the PM is so unpopular. They should replace Starmer now with someone who is up to the job and not wait until the May elections..

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'Downing Street has refused to comment on reports that the US is seizing a Venezuela-linked oil tanker which is travelling off British waters.' Starmer's government isn't going to comment critically on anything which the Orange Ghoul acr...

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