UK Closely Monitoring US-Venezuela Tensions Amid Caribbean Tourist Season 

By Admin. Updated 7:50 p.m., Monday, November 1, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, His Excellency Simon Mustard, has stated that the UK government is closely watching developments in the Caribbean Sea between the United States and Venezuela.

Mr Mustard, who assumed the role in May 2025, remarked: “As we enter the new tourist season, (which began on 1 November), flights are arriving and British tourists are coming. Naturally, security is a major concern for my government, and we monitor the situation very closely.”

The US has carried out several strikes, destroying vessels in the Caribbean Sea that it alleges are involved in drug trafficking linked to Venezuela. Meanwhile, UK warships have been deployed off the Venezuelan coast amid rising tensions over possible US land strikes within Venezuela.

“We have seen details of recent strikes and security activities conducted by our US colleagues and other nations in the region, which, of course, are concerning,” Mr Mustard told Demion McTair, a in a One News SVG interview on October 5.

“Our interest aligns with yours. We want a peaceful and prosperous Caribbean alongside our partners and friends, as that benefits us all. Many British tourists visit the Eastern Caribbean, including St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and St Lucia,” he added.

He went on to say, “The wider issues behind the security concerns expressed by your government and CARICOM colleagues are very familiar to us: narcotics trafficking, the influx of firearms into gangs, homicide rates, and the challenges faced particularly by young men in finding employment and economic opportunities. Our task, working in partnership with your government and with colleagues from the US, Canada, the EU and others, is to create the space for strategic approaches to these problems. That requires effective partnerships.”

Violent crime and gang-related activities have been an ongoing concern across Caribbean territories. The US has connected some of these problems to drug trafficking, in which it accuses Venezuela of a significant role. However, some Caribbean leaders have partly attributed the proliferation of firearms in the region to weaknesses in US gun legislation.

Mr Mustard emphasised that strategic partnerships “involve dialogue and addressing the root causes of these issues, although sometimes direct action is necessary. We aim to minimise those occasions. It is a very dynamic and evolving situation, which we will continue to monitor closely.”

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