David Lammy has labelled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s “claim to power” as “fraudulent”, as the UK announced sanctions against 15 people associated with him. The Foreign Secretary said that the July elections in which Mr Maduro secured a third term were “neither free nor fair and his regime does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people”. It comes as Mr Maduro was sworn in for a third term as president on Friday. Mr Maduro was declared the winner of the election hours after polls closed on July 28, but there have been concerns about the transparency of the process, as the opposition collected tally sheets from more than 80% of electronic voting machines, posted them online and said the tallies show opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won twice as many votes as Mr Maduro. In a statement on Friday, Mr Lammy said: “Nicolas Maduro’s claim to power is fraudulent. The outcome of July’s elections was neither free nor fair and his regime does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people. “Today’s sanctions send a clear message. The UK will not stand by as Maduro continues to oppress, undermine democracy, and commit appalling human rights violations. All political prisoners must be released and the ongoing repression must end. We will continue to support the people of Venezuela in their fight for a democratic future.” Judges and senior ranking officials are among the individuals sanctioned on Friday, including president of the supreme tribunal of justice Caryslia Beatriz Rodriguez Rodríguez and Rosalba Gil Pacheco, Principal Rector of the National Electoral Council. Mr Maduro was sworn in as president for the third time as on Friday, with his new term set to see him leading the country until 2031. The Associated Press reported that the palace where the swearing in was held was heavily guarded by the police and military following protests.