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21 February 2011
Last updated at 07:55 ET
The UK will continue to assess the threat to British nationals in Libya and the need for evacuations, the foreign secretary has said.
William Hague said the credibility of the Libyan government had been undermined by its failure to protect its own people.
The Libyan ambassador in London has been summoned to the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel, and is urging Britons in Libya to leave if they can.
Anti-government protests have spread to the capital Tripoli and, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 233 people have died since last Thursday.
'Packed airport' There are about 3,500 British citizens resident in Libya, mostly in Tripoli, although many are thought to have left.
The UK Foreign Office is urging anyone without a pressing need to remain in the country to leave by commercial means where possible. In line with this advice, dependents of British embassy staff will be flying home with commercial airlines.
About 50 Britons in eastern Libya are being helped to reach a "place of safety", according to the Foreign Office (FCO).
BP, which is carrying out oil and gas exploration in Libya, has 140 staff - 40 expatriates and 100 foreign nationals - in the country. The company is preparing to evacuate families and non-essential staff over the next two days.
Tony, from Liverpool, who has been working in Libya for two years in the oil and gas industry, is trying to get home from Tripoli.
"Coming through the city centre, there's boulders in the road, burnt-out cars and such," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "I'm at the airport which is absolutely packed with people trying to leave.
"A lot of people thought the trouble would just blow over in Tripoli, because it is pro-Gaddafi and there's been a lot of protests for Gaddafi. But now people are starting to get a bit worried because once you get a handful protesting against him, they reckon a lot of people will just join in."
'Implement reforms' Prime Minister David Cameron, who is in Egypt as part of a tour of the Gulf region, condemned the "completely appalling" violence carried out by the Libyan regime.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
Speaking on the flight to Cairo, Mr Cameron said the regime was "using the most vicious forms of repression against people who want to see that country - which is one of the most closed and one of the most autocratic - make progress".
Arriving in Brussels for talks with fellow EU foreign ministers, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We have changed our travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Libya and those who are able to leave safely should leave by commercial means.
"Of course, that situation is constantly under review and so we will assess the need for evacuations as things progress."
The foreign secretary, who spoke to the Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif on Sunday, called for an end to the violence and "full protection" for foreigner nationals. He also said international monitors should be allowed into the north African country as soon as possible.
He said the Libyan ambassador in London had been summoned to the Foreign Office, "to convey in the strongest terms our absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators".
Arms exports According to the EU, ambassadors in Tripoli have been told that if European governments "encourage" protests, Libya will suspend the co-operation it has given on curbing illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
BBC Panorama reporter Paul Kenyon, who has written about the issue, said Libya had been a major transit route from sub-Saharan Africa for many years.
"Out of a population of seven million people in Libya, about one million are thought to be sub-Saharan African," he said. "About three-quarters of those would like to leave and come across to Europe."
Up to 40,000 people used to travel across to the Italian island of Lampedusa every year, he said, but after the co-operation deal was struck last year, the numbers had reduced by 96%.
Thousands of Tunisian migrants have been arriving on Lampedusa since Tunisia overthrew its president last month.
"The fear with Libya is that sub-Saharan Africans will try to leave and there are more of them," our reporter added.
Responding to criticism over Britain's commercial interests with the country, Libyan-British Business Council chairman Lord Trefgarne said trade with the UK was not "a reward for good behaviour".
"We are a great trading nation, we trade with a great many nations around the world, many of whom we have sharp disagreements (with)," he said.
Lord Trefgarne pointed out that bringing Col Gaddafi back into the international fold led to Libya abandoning its weapons of mass destruction programme.
Britain's "very strict licensing regime" over arms exports was "rigorously applied" to Libya, he added.
Meanwhile, the London School of Economics says it is reconsidering its links with the Libyan government "as a matter of urgency".
Saif Gaddafi received his PhD from the institution and donated £1.5m to support its Centre for the Study of Global Governance in 2009.
William Hague said the credibility of the Libyan government had been undermined by its failure to protect its own people.
The Libyan ambassador in London has been summoned to the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel, and is urging Britons in Libya to leave if they can.
Anti-government protests have spread to the capital Tripoli and, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 233 people have died since last Thursday.
'Packed airport' There are about 3,500 British citizens resident in Libya, mostly in Tripoli, although many are thought to have left.
The UK Foreign Office is urging anyone without a pressing need to remain in the country to leave by commercial means where possible. In line with this advice, dependents of British embassy staff will be flying home with commercial airlines.
About 50 Britons in eastern Libya are being helped to reach a "place of safety", according to the Foreign Office (FCO).
BP, which is carrying out oil and gas exploration in Libya, has 140 staff - 40 expatriates and 100 foreign nationals - in the country. The company is preparing to evacuate families and non-essential staff over the next two days.
Tony, from Liverpool, who has been working in Libya for two years in the oil and gas industry, is trying to get home from Tripoli.
"Coming through the city centre, there's boulders in the road, burnt-out cars and such," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "I'm at the airport which is absolutely packed with people trying to leave.
"A lot of people thought the trouble would just blow over in Tripoli, because it is pro-Gaddafi and there's been a lot of protests for Gaddafi. But now people are starting to get a bit worried because once you get a handful protesting against him, they reckon a lot of people will just join in."
'Implement reforms' Prime Minister David Cameron, who is in Egypt as part of a tour of the Gulf region, condemned the "completely appalling" violence carried out by the Libyan regime.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
The fear with Libya is that sub-Saharan Africans will try to leave and there are more of them”
End Quote
Paul Kenyon
Panorama reporter
Speaking on the flight to Cairo, Mr Cameron said the regime was "using the most vicious forms of repression against people who want to see that country - which is one of the most closed and one of the most autocratic - make progress".
Arriving in Brussels for talks with fellow EU foreign ministers, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We have changed our travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Libya and those who are able to leave safely should leave by commercial means.
"Of course, that situation is constantly under review and so we will assess the need for evacuations as things progress."
The foreign secretary, who spoke to the Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif on Sunday, called for an end to the violence and "full protection" for foreigner nationals. He also said international monitors should be allowed into the north African country as soon as possible.
He said the Libyan ambassador in London had been summoned to the Foreign Office, "to convey in the strongest terms our absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators".
Arms exports According to the EU, ambassadors in Tripoli have been told that if European governments "encourage" protests, Libya will suspend the co-operation it has given on curbing illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
We are a great trading nation, we trade with a great many nations around the world, many of whom we have sharp disagreements (with)”
End Quote
Lord Trefgarne
Libyan-British Business Council chairman
BBC Panorama reporter Paul Kenyon, who has written about the issue, said Libya had been a major transit route from sub-Saharan Africa for many years.
"Out of a population of seven million people in Libya, about one million are thought to be sub-Saharan African," he said. "About three-quarters of those would like to leave and come across to Europe."
Up to 40,000 people used to travel across to the Italian island of Lampedusa every year, he said, but after the co-operation deal was struck last year, the numbers had reduced by 96%.
Thousands of Tunisian migrants have been arriving on Lampedusa since Tunisia overthrew its president last month.
"The fear with Libya is that sub-Saharan Africans will try to leave and there are more of them," our reporter added.
Responding to criticism over Britain's commercial interests with the country, Libyan-British Business Council chairman Lord Trefgarne said trade with the UK was not "a reward for good behaviour".
"We are a great trading nation, we trade with a great many nations around the world, many of whom we have sharp disagreements (with)," he said.
Lord Trefgarne pointed out that bringing Col Gaddafi back into the international fold led to Libya abandoning its weapons of mass destruction programme.
Britain's "very strict licensing regime" over arms exports was "rigorously applied" to Libya, he added.
Meanwhile, the London School of Economics says it is reconsidering its links with the Libyan government "as a matter of urgency".
Saif Gaddafi received his PhD from the institution and donated £1.5m to support its Centre for the Study of Global Governance in 2009.