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27 February 2011
Last updated at 05:35 ET
Foreign Secretary William Hague has said "it is time" for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down.
His comments came after the airlift of 150 oil workers, many of them British, from desert camps in Libya. About 300 British nationals remain stranded.
Speaking on the BBC Andrew Marr programme, Mr Hague said: "Of course, it is time for Colonel Gaddafi to go, that is the best hope for Libya."
The UK has withdrawn his diplomatic immunity on British soil, he added.
The order also applies to his family and household.
Two RAF Hercules flew the 150 oil workers to the safety of Malta on Saturday. Further rescue missions are planned to reach the British nationals still stranded.
Meanwhile, 53 Britons and consular staff were among 100 on the last government-chartered flight out of Libya to Gatwick on Saturday.
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The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt, who is in Malta, says the RAF flights on Saturday were into an area which was "relatively safe" because the landing strip had been secured by local militia, and by oil company security.
He says "there are much more complicated and difficult places where there are still British workers", and rescue plans for them are being worked out.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is also heading back to Benghazi to help with further evacuations.
The Foreign Office has revised upwards its original estimate of the number of British oil workers still in the desert.
'No soldiers' It is understood that many of their employers had not registered them with the embassy in Tripoli, which meant consular staff had been unaware of their whereabouts when the first protests against Col Gaddafi's regime broke out two weeks ago.
Defence Secretary Liam Fox confirmed the Hercules flights on Saturday evening, once they had arrived in Malta, and gave detail of other evacuation efforts.
"HMS Cumberland is on her way back to Benghazi to evacuate any remaining entitled persons from there," he said.
"HMS York has arrived in Valletta to take on board stores so it can assist the evacuation effort if required. And a number of other military assets remain available to support the FCO-led efforts to return civilians from Libya," he said.
The Foreign Office said the Hercules passengers had been met by a team of consular officials and Red Cross staff in Valletta, where they would be helped before returning to Britain on a government-chartered plane on Sunday or Monday.
Much of Libya, especially the east, is now controlled by anti-Gaddafi forces but the Libyan leader, who is coming under increasing pressure from the international community over his crackdown against protesters, still controls Tripoli.
The capital is home to two million of the country's 6.5 million population.
Do you have relatives who have managed to leave Libya? You can send us your experiences using the form below.
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His comments came after the airlift of 150 oil workers, many of them British, from desert camps in Libya. About 300 British nationals remain stranded.
Speaking on the BBC Andrew Marr programme, Mr Hague said: "Of course, it is time for Colonel Gaddafi to go, that is the best hope for Libya."
The UK has withdrawn his diplomatic immunity on British soil, he added.
The order also applies to his family and household.
Two RAF Hercules flew the 150 oil workers to the safety of Malta on Saturday. Further rescue missions are planned to reach the British nationals still stranded.
Meanwhile, 53 Britons and consular staff were among 100 on the last government-chartered flight out of Libya to Gatwick on Saturday.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt, who is in Malta, says the RAF flights on Saturday were into an area which was "relatively safe" because the landing strip had been secured by local militia, and by oil company security.
He says "there are much more complicated and difficult places where there are still British workers", and rescue plans for them are being worked out.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is also heading back to Benghazi to help with further evacuations.
The Foreign Office has revised upwards its original estimate of the number of British oil workers still in the desert.
'No soldiers' It is understood that many of their employers had not registered them with the embassy in Tripoli, which meant consular staff had been unaware of their whereabouts when the first protests against Col Gaddafi's regime broke out two weeks ago.
Defence Secretary Liam Fox confirmed the Hercules flights on Saturday evening, once they had arrived in Malta, and gave detail of other evacuation efforts.
"HMS Cumberland is on her way back to Benghazi to evacuate any remaining entitled persons from there," he said.
"HMS York has arrived in Valletta to take on board stores so it can assist the evacuation effort if required. And a number of other military assets remain available to support the FCO-led efforts to return civilians from Libya," he said.
The Foreign Office said the Hercules passengers had been met by a team of consular officials and Red Cross staff in Valletta, where they would be helped before returning to Britain on a government-chartered plane on Sunday or Monday.
Much of Libya, especially the east, is now controlled by anti-Gaddafi forces but the Libyan leader, who is coming under increasing pressure from the international community over his crackdown against protesters, still controls Tripoli.
The capital is home to two million of the country's 6.5 million population.
Do you have relatives who have managed to leave Libya? You can send us your experiences using the form below.
Powered By WizardRSS - Full Text RSS Feeds