WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will have to prepare himself for an indefinite stay inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, as the British government has made it clear that he will be arrested the moment he steps out of the premises.

British foreign secretary William Hague said on Thursday the standoff at the embassy could go on for some time. But he said the British would not storm the building, after Ecuador claimed the UK had threatened to launch a raid.

Some 20 to 30 Scotland Yard officers are keeping a 24-hour vigil outside the embassy, located at 3 Hans Crescent - in the heart of London's exclusive Knightsbridge district. Barely 50 yards away is the men's clothing section of Harrods department store, one of Europe's most expensive places to shop.

With Assange's internment, the area now has an added attraction, with scores of supporters parked outside.

Friends who have visited Assange say he has a computer and a broadband connection, at least one cellphone, and regular deliveries of takeout food - carefully inspected by the Scotland Yard cops.

Hague said, ''We will not allow Assange safe passage out of the United Kingdom, nor is there any legal basis for us to do so. The United Kingdom does not recognise the principle of diplomatic asylum.''

WikiLeaks said Assange would give a statement on Sunday (London time) ''in front'' of the Ecuadorean embassy. However, this seems unlikely to happen, as Scotland Yard has said it will move to arrest Assange as soon as he is no longer on diplomatic soil, although he could still technically stand within the boundary of the embassy's property.

Assange will also appeal to the International Court of Justice, Baltasar Garzón, one of his lawyers, told Spanish newspaper El País.

UK media batters Assange

The media – which has frequently thrived on headlines provided by the whistleblower – seems to have turned its back on Assange in unison.

The Times sarcastically portrayed the Wikileaks founder as a superhero – naked except for a flag of Ecuador. And that sense of an 'emperor with no clothes' is shared by other papers.

The Guardian says he is not truly a refugee and must be extradited to Sweden to face sex assault claims.

The Independent says that to live up to the integrity he professes, he must defend himself in Sweden.

Assange, in his own estimation, has been the pioneer of a movement aiming to transcend boundaries of nationality, custom and law, using WikiLeaks to tear down walls of secrecy and foster a new era of global transparency and justice.

The word he has used more than any other is free. But ironically, the situation in which he finds himself now is akin to an unlimited sentence in prison, albeit a relatively comfortable one.