Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of lives saved as a result of the United Kingdom's military action in Libya; and what is their estimate of the number of lives lost in Libya since January 2013.

It is very difficult to verify how many lives have been lost since January 2013 or saved as a result of the UK’s military action in Libya. However Britain played a key role in preventing the bloodbath that would have taken place in Benghazi had we not intervened. The decision to intervene in Libya in 2011 was an international one, taken by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and other international partners following a call from the Arab League and authorisation at the UN Security Council.

The UK is deeply concerned by the increasing violence and political polarisation in Libya, and its impact on the Libyan people and the stability of the wider region. It is of paramount importance that all Libyans recognise the terrible strain that the conflict is putting on their country. We strongly support the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), to resolve the political and security crisis and pave the way for peaceful political dialogue. The UK welcomed the dialogue talks hosted by UNSMIL in Rabat from 5 to 7 March, and the following week in Algeria and Brussels. We urge all participants to attend further talks with goodwill and adopt inclusive policies, to lay the foundations for a Government of National Unity.