A former Minister for Africa has called on the Government to monitor the volatile situation in Zimbabwe.

James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, has also urged caution in dealing with the country following the apparent overthrow of tyrant Robert Mugabe.

Mr Duddridge, who was Minister for Africa between 2014 and 2016, raised the matter at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday.

He said: “Given the recent events in Zimbabwe, what support can Her Majesty’s Government provide to Zimbabweans to help their country’s recovery, both economically and in terms of their democratic systems of government?”

In response, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “We have all seen what has happened in Harare, and we are monitoring developments carefully. The situation is still fluid, and we would urge restraint on all sides, because we want to see – and would call for – an avoidance of violence.

“Of course, our primary concern is the safety of British nationals in Zimbabwe. It is an uncertain political situation, obviously, and we have heard reports of unusual military activity, so we recommend that British nationals in Harare remain safely at home until the situation becomes clearer. On this specific point, we are currently providing bilateral support to Zimbabwe of more than £80million per year, partly to support economic reform and development.

Mr Duddridge also questioned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the situation, asking if he would “advise caution”.

Mr Johnson said: “The message that I’m trying to get over to the House is that we should not jump the gun.

“We should not jump to conclusions about how exactly things are going to turn in the course of the next few days or even few hours.

“I think the caution he advises is extremely sensible.”