Mr Fox's striking change of emphasis came more than four months after Britain, France and the US began bombing raids on Colonel Gaddafi's troops in an effort to protect rebels in the east of the country. Yet Colonel Gaddafi shows no sign of relinquishing power and a military stalemate appears to be developing. Mr Fox, who flew to Washington yesterday to discuss the operation told BBC Radio 4: "The key for the Libyan resolution will be whether or not the close circle around Colonel Gaddafi realise there's no point in investing in him: he's a busted flush, he will sooner or later have to leave power. When the penny drops with them that that's inevitable, then you're likely to see the sort of change, the political momentum, that we've been looking for."