David Cameron was distracted during Libya crisis, claims Obama

David Cameron was distracted by domestic priorities as Libya descended into a “mess”, Barack Obama has suggested.

In frank comments about foreign relations, the US president also revealed he warned his British counterpart that the “special relationship” would be at risk if the UK did not commit to spending 2% of its national income on defence in line with Nato targets.

The remarks were made in a long interview with the Atlantic. Obama expressed aggravation with “free riders” among world leaders who call for international action if there is a war or other humanitarian crisis but do not commit enough military resources. “You have to pay your fair share,” he said.

He made critical comments about both the UK and France for participating in military action in Libya in 2011 that removed its dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, but subsequently failing to stop it becoming a “mess”.

“The way I looked at it was that it would be our problem if, in fact, complete chaos and civil war broke out in Libya,” Obama said. “But this is not so at the core of US interests that it makes sense for us to unilaterally strike against the Gaddafi regime.