Culture Sec: SAS May Be Called To Libya
Thursday 24th February 2010
The government has told LBC the SAS are on standby to help rescue British oil workers trapped in the desert in Libya.
A BP-chartered flight carrying 150 British nationals has arrived at
Gatwick - An RAF Hercules transport aircraft has been sent to Tripoli. Another charter flight is also bringing British people home but Labour
has called on the government to apologise for its slow response to the
crisis. The government has begun a review into its response
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told Nick Ferrari the SAS could be sent in if necessary.
He said: "The most significant news is the SAS troops that are now ready to spring into action.
"They are obviously thinking very, very carefully about these 170 trapped oil workers and the issue now is how do we deal with people outside Tripoli rather than inside Tripoli."
When asked if the Government have been slow to react, he added: "The point I would make is, things like having SAS troops on stand-by aren't things that happen at the drop of the hat and these things have obviously been planned for days, if not weeks, and I think things are going to happen."
Listen to the interview below.