Boris Johnson meets members of the Libyan coastguard who were trained in the UK, at a Libyan naval base in Tripoli

Britain hugely underestimated the danger of removing Colonel Gaddafi from Libya and promoted elections that aggravated the country’s problems, the foreign secretary has said.

Boris Johnson said the situation in Libya was beginning to improve from years of “tragedy” caused by the toppling of the dictator after British intervention under David Cameron.

On a visit to Benghazi Mr Johnson urged Khalifa Haftar, leader of the military government in eastern Libya, to support United Nations efforts to end sectarian warfare in the country. He also warned politicians to learn from Theresa May’s mistake and not hold an election too early, according to the BBC.

Britain could help Libya to return migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who were seeking to enter Europe, Mr Johnson suggested. “It’s very important