Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards the reopening of the British Embassy in Libya.

Our Embassy in Tripoli has been temporarily closed since 6 August 2014, due to ongoing fighting and instability. The safety and security of our staff is paramount: we will re-open our Embassy in Tripoli when the security situation has improved sufficiently to keep our staff safe. A small team of British diplomats focused on relations with Libya are currently working from our Embassy in Tunis, as well as a team in London. Our core diplomatic activity also includes the work of the UK Special Envoy to the Libyan Political Transition, Jonathan Powell, who is continuing to work with the UN by pursuing mediation efforts to agree a negotiated political settlement, which offers the best hope of stability for the country.