The United Kingdom has suspended parts of its intelligence sharing with the United States following a series of deadly US military strikes on boats near Venezuela, in a move that marks one of the sharpest rifts in decades between the two allies. The decision, confirmed by multiple diplomatic sources, comes amid British fears that American operations in the Caribbean may amount to extrajudicial killings and breach international law, prompting what officials describe as a temporary pause in cooperation.
UK freezes cooperation over fears of unlawful killings
According to reports first published by CNN and corroborated by British officials, the UK has halted the exchange of intelligence data related to suspected drug-trafficking vessels operating in the Caribbean. The information, including vessel coordinates, surveillance imagery, and communications intercepts, has long helped US forces track smugglers at sea.But after 14 US strikes since September left more than 70 people dead, London moved to restrict intelligence that could be used for lethal targeting. Officials say the government is concerned that the attacks may constitute violations of international humanitarian law, and that continued sharing could make Britain complicit.Downing Street did not deny the reports, saying only that the UK does not comment on intelligence matters. A spokesperson added that questions of legality are for competent international courts, a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke of Washington’s justification for the killings.
Strikes spark legal and moral alarm
The US campaign, led by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, has targeted vessels allegedly linked to narcotics terrorism. Washington insists the strikes were defensive actions in international waters, but human rights groups and UN officials have condemned them as unlawful and disproportionate.UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the operations amounted to extrajudicial killings, while Venezuela’s government described them as acts of murder and aggression against a sovereign state. The UK’s limited freeze suggests alignment with those concerns, distancing itself from actions that could be legally and ethically indefensible.
Partial suspension, not a total break
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Britain has not severed all intelligence cooperation with the US.Key channels, including those under the Five Eyes alliance and NATO, remain operational. The suspension applies narrowly to maritime surveillance and targeting intelligence linked to US operations in the Caribbean.Analysts say the decision reflects a growing desire in London to assert independence in military ethics, particularly under Yvette Cooper’s Foreign Office. One senior UK defence adviser described the pause as “a firewall, not a divorce.”
Diplomatic tensions ahead of G7
The revelation comes just days before Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G7 foreign ministers’ summit in Canada. The timing has intensified speculation of a diplomatic chill between the transatlantic partners.While Downing Street reiterated that the US remains Britain’s closest partner on defence and security, it has refused to confirm whether intelligence sharing will resume soon. “Decisions on operations are for the United States,” a spokesperson said, “but the UK upholds international law in all cooperation agreements.”The suspension marks a rare public strain in the decades-old intelligence relationship born from the 1946 UKUSA Agreement, the foundation of the Five Eyes network.
