Labour said Mark Fullbrook posed ‘not just a potential security risk but an ongoing threat to the credibility and prospects of UK diplomacy and ethical standards in government’. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Patrick Wintour and Rowena MasonSun 16 Oct 2022 19.52 BST
عقدت لجنة اختيار الشؤون الخارجية جلسة نادرة خارجة عن الأدلة عبر الاتصال الفضائي مع باشاغا ، وكانت الجلسة غير معتادة نظرًا لأن اللجنة لم تكن تجري تحقيقًا في ليبيا في ذلك الوقت ، ولا يبدو أنها مرتبطة بأي من أعمالها الأخرى ، منح باشاغا إلى حد كبير منبرًا للضغط من أجل الحصول على الدعم البريطاني ، وبالكاد طعن أعضاء اللجنة - الذين حضر القليل منهم الجلسة - في ادعاء باشاغا بأنه رئيس الوزراء الشرعي لليبيا. بدعم تركي وبقيادة عبد الحميد دبيبة ، والآخر متمركز في الشرق ويعتمد على دعم روسيا والإمارات العربية المتحدة ، وقبل زيارته إلى لندن كان باشاغا قد دخل طرابلس متوقعا وصوله
لإثارة انتفاضة في دعمه.لكن ،
Haftar’s Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) laid a bloody siege to Tripoli in 2019-20 with the support of thousands of Kremlin-affiliated Wagner Group mercenaries. The brutal and economically hugely damaging siege was only defeated when Turkey intervened to provide military training and equipment to the military forces of the government of national unity.
Bashagha’s claim to be prime minister of Libya derived from a vote of confidence decision issued by the HoR, and the recommendation of members of the high council of state (HCS). The HoR claims Dbeibah should have stood down after it was impossible to hold elections as planned in December.
The UK ambassador in Libya, Caroline Hurndall, has herself met Bashagha but the UK has adopted a broadly neutral position focusing on the need for both sides to agree the terms of national elections.
Kwarteng has previously defended Haftar, writing a pamphlet calling for Britain to swing behind the strongman. He did so after a visit to Libya, where he met Haftar in conjunction with Leo Docherty, now a Foreign Office minister responsible for Europe.
ullbrook has defended himself by saying he has recused himself of any responsibility for Libya policy, but at least nine countries – Italy, France, the UAE, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Egypt, Qatar and Tunisia – have a direct interest in the internationalised Libyan power struggle, making it hard for Fullbrook to compartmentalise his involvement in Libya.
In a joint letter to Liz Truss, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, and the shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, warned the prime minister that Fullbrook’s “continued presence poses not just a potential security risk but an ongoing threat to the credibility and prospects of UK diplomacy and ethical standards in government”. There is now “no place in No 10” for Fullbrook, they said.
Labour is calling for a full and independent investigation into the episode and its implications for UK diplomacy, as well as ethics and propriety in government. This includes the role and conduct of ministers and officials in