UK: Most Britons oppose military intervention in Libya

London, (IRNA): The British public is at odds with the government over its leading role in using military action to intervene in Libya, according to the first poll since attacks were launched last weekend.


The ComRes poll, for ITV News, found some 53 per cent people agree it would be unacceptable for British armed forces personnel to risk death or injury while trying to protect Libyan opposition forces against Gaddafi's regime.

Only one in three (35%) agreed it is right for the UK to take military action in Libya, while two thirds (65%) either disagree (43%) or said they don’t know (22%).

The findings come as the US F-15 Eagle became the first reported casualty of the Western intervention, with the war plane crash landing in Libya on Monday night.

The poll reported that nearly half (49%) of Britons believed that military action in Libya is an unnecessary risk for Britain to take, and only around 1 in 3 people (31%) disagree.

More than half (52%) said that they had a good understanding of why the UK had planned military action in Libya, according to 2,028 adults interviewed online between March 18 and 20.

Opinions were split regarding the impact of the international action being taken on Prime Minister David Cameron's leadership, with 34% agreeing that it reflects well on his leadership and the same number disagreeing, while 30% were unsure.

A survey by Opinium Research, published two weeks ago, found that 59% of people opposed sending British troops to Libya and only 27% were in favour.

Cameron on Monday won overwhelming parliamentary support for the UK government's involvement in military action against Libya, but at the expense of many MPs expressing serious misgivings.