The UK government has demanded an emergency UN Security Council session as the death toll from Venezuela's devastating earthquake climbs past 4,000. Whitehall sources confirm Downing Street is pushing for an international aid co-ordination resolution, wary of Maduro's regime using the crisis to consolidate power. Foreign Office mandarins are working the phones to New York, but whispers suggest Russia and China may block any measure that acknowledges opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
The death count, mostly in the coastal state of Vargas, is expected to rise. Rescue efforts are hampered by collapsed infrastructure and a government that has refused outside help. One senior diplomat told me: 'This is a humanitarian catastrophe, but also a political one.
Maduro sees aid as a Trojan horse.' The PM's spokesman called for 'unfettered access' for relief workers. Labour has piled on, accusing the Tories of 'dithering' while people die.
The UN vote could come within 48 hours. Watch this space.
