Nobody can explain why assets are frozen and when they might be unfrozen. If the freeze was to punish Gadafy, well he is long gone. If it was to stop a long list of his family and henchmen from helping themselves, well that has worked too. Meantime the money, shares, property etc, sits wherever it is, doing not much for anyone.

David Cameron, in March 2011 said that “the assets really do belong to the Libyan people ” and did not support the idea of using a fraction of the wealth to compensate Libyan victims of semtex.

The NTC gave Jason McCue a promise to pay compensation, a month later.

On 27 July 2011 the British Government recognised the National Transitional Council “as the sole governmental authority in Libya”.

In August Henry Bellingham Foreign Office Minister, wrote to Dr McCrea MP, about my claim and said: “I know Mr McCue was able to get a MoU signed by Abdul Jalil of the NTC which gave agreement to compensation. It may be possible to consider, when the time is right, making a further approach to the NTC for the setting aside of assets for compensation”

This language is typical of  mealy mouthed Foreign Office speak. When somebody makes you a promise to pay  but does not pay, the time is immediately right. No hand wringing necessary.

Time for the FCO and the Prime Minister to show some steel in support of victims of terrorism.

The time is right.