Lawyers acting for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism have welcomed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s support for their compensation bid.

Mr Johnson visited Libya last week and reportedly raised the subject of Libyan compensation for UK victims of terror.

Jason McCue, senior partner at McCue & Partners, said it was “encouraging that the Foreign Secretary shares our view that our victims should be compensated”.

Matthew Jury, managing partner, added: “Absolutely fundamental to defeating terrorism is making it crystal clear to states who arm and fund terrorists that where their money and support has allowed the maiming and killing of British citizens there is no way back to good foreign relations with our country until that debt is paid in full and justice done.

“So now the new Libyan Government is taking shape it should be our Government’s top priority to secure justice for these British victims.”

Westminster’s Northern Ireland Affairs committee recently published a report highlighting “a series of missed opportunities to secure compensation” and urging the next government to take action.

According to the report, weapons, funding, training and explosives provided by Libya to the Provisional IRA both extended and exacerbated the Troubles. In particular, Libyan Semtex facilitated a bombing campaign in the late 1980s that included atrocities at Enniskillen, Warrington and the London Docklands.

It found that successive UK governments have failed to press for the issue of compensation for victims to be resolved by the UN Security Council, as was done for victims of the Lockerbie bombing.