World News Today: Cameron hails 'Egypt opportunity'

David Cameron said Egypt had experienced a "remarkable" day

Egypt has a "precious moment of opportunity" to move towards "civilian and democratic rule" in Egypt, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

His comments follow the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as Egypt's president on the 18th day of protests demanding the end of his 30-year rule.

Mr Cameron said the UK is a friend of Egypt that stands ready to "help in any way that we can".

Protesters responded to news of the resignation by cheering, waving flags and sounding car horns.

Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, Mr Cameron said the new government should start to put in place "the building blocks of a truly open, free and democratic society".

"Those who now run Egypt have a duty to reflect the wishes of the Egyptian people and, in particular, there really must be a move to civilian and democratic rule as part of this important transition to an open, democratic and free Egypt."

These sentiments were echoed by Labour leader Ed Miliband, who said the protesters had "won a famous victory".

He offered his congratulations before adding: "Now the task must be to create that democratic future that people have today won."

In London, Amr El-Bayoumi, 45, an Egyptian international lawyer, said he was "elated" to hear of Mr Mubarak's resignation.

He said: "My head is raised high because of my fellow Egyptians who have proved the power of the people in fighting for their rights and bringing down a brutal dictator who has been supported for decades by the US.

"We have seen a shining example for the world to see true democracy and true power to the people."

However, Mr El-Bayoumi, who recently returned from two weeks of protests in Cairo and planned to fly back to his native country on Saturday, added that Egyptians have "so much work to do to rebuild the country".

"Obviously, we need to see who will take power. We have a lot of work to do to get our society back from this ugly corruption and ugly brutality."

Earlier, the UK Foreign Office has said it is "deeply concerned" about a Briton missing in Egypt.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said Hisham Morsi was last seen being removed from Tahrir Square on 31 January but it is unclear by whom and authorities have been asked whether they are holding him.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Hisham Morsi is the only British national that we are aware of who is missing at the moment."

Mr Morsi, who is of dual British and Egyptian nationality, is understood to be aged about 50 and based outside the UK, "probably in Cairo".