A man, reflected in glass, arrives at Heathrow airport terminal 5 prior to the gates opening early morning near London. REUTERS/Russell Boyce

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has introduced restrictions on carry-on electronic goods on direct inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia for the safety of the public, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday.

Earlier, the United States imposed similar restrictions on planes coming from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.

“Direct flights to the UK from these destinations continue to operate to the UK subject to these new measures being in place,” the spokesman told reporters. “We think these steps are necessary and proportionate to allow passengers to travel safely.”

Passengers would not be allowed to bring phones, laptops or tablets over 16 cm in length, 9.3 cm in width and with a depth of over 1.5 cm into the cabin. These items would have to be in checked-in hold luggage, he said.