In its statement to the UN Security Council, the UK government set out four immediate policy priorities for Libya: economic governance, protection of sovereign resources, the treatment of migrants and refugees, and renewed movement on the UN-led political track. The text published on GOV.UK reads as a practical set of tests rather than a general diplomatic appeal. According to the statement, progress now depends on whether Libyan institutions can implement agreed financial arrangements, operate without political interference and connect those steps to a credible electoral process.
On economic governance, the statement welcomes the unified budget agreement reached on 11 April. The UK presents that deal as a milestone because it offers a basis for more coherent public finance management and for stronger independence in Libya's financial institutions. The statement also welcomes US efforts to facilitate the agreement and calls on all parties to implement the budget in full. In practical terms, the UK is treating budget delivery as a confidence-building measure that could help rebuild trust between institutions and across political divides.
The budget agreement is not presented as an end point. According to the UK statement, Libyan actors should use it to overcome obstacles that have slowed the roadmap put forward by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General. That matters because the UK again ties economic and institutional progress to an inclusive political process, facilitated by the UN and directed towards national elections. The stated objective is unified governance that safeguards Libya's unity, sovereignty and stability.
On sanctions and sovereign resources, the UK links the Security Council's recent renewal of the Libya sanctions regime to the protection of national wealth. The statement says stronger measures against oil smuggling, alongside continued protections for frozen assets, are intended to preserve Libya's wealth for the long-term benefit of the Libyan people. The same section contains a direct call for institutional independence. The UK says the National Oil Corporation and the Central Bank of Libya should be able to operate without interference or politicisation, reflecting the view that control of revenues and reserves remains closely tied to the wider political process.
The strongest concern in the statement relates to migrants and refugees. The UK says it remains deeply concerned by reports of trafficking, abuse and informal detention in Libya, while also welcoming the authorities' continued cooperation with international partners, including on voluntary returns. That framing is important. The statement supports ongoing operational cooperation, but it also presses Libyan authorities to dismantle trafficking networks and close informal detention centres so that protection standards, human rights and safe, dignified returns are treated as immediate policy requirements rather than secondary issues.
In closing, the UK argues that delay is no longer tenable. The statement says the Libyan people continue to seek unified governance capable of providing security, stability and opportunity, and it calls on all sides to put citizens' interests first. It also points parties back to the UN roadmap and the Security Council press statement of 3 March. Taken together, the UK's position is that the 11 April budget agreement should now be turned into institutional autonomy, better protection of sovereign assets, stronger safeguards for migrants and refugees, and a credible path to elections.