Adm Sir Mark Stanhope was summoned to Downing Street after he said the government would face ‘challenging decisions’ on force levels if the mission lasted more than six months.
The first sea lord now ‘agreed we can sustain’ the intervention, the prime minister told MPs yesterday.
It was vital Britain sent a consistent message that ‘time is on our side’, Mr Cameron added.
A Whitehall source confirmed that Adm Stanhope was called in on Tuesday to explain his remarks.
‘I think you can assume there was no coffee or biscuits,’ added the insider.
During yesterday’s prime minister’s questions, Mr Cameron said: ‘I had a meeting with the first sea lord and he agreed we can sustain this mission as long as we need to.’
He said action in support of Libyan rebels was ‘the right thing’ and added: ‘We have got Nato, we have got the United Nations, we have got the Arab League, we have right on our side.
‘The pressure is building militarily, diplomatically and politically and time is running out for [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi.’
On Tuesday night, Nato warplanes struck targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, while aircraft dropped leaflets warning Gaddafi’s forces to abandon their posts near the rebel-held city of Misrata.
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