Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary has faced a barrage of criticism over his comments in which he referred to "dead bodies" in Libya. He said that Sirte, a city in Libya, could become like Dubai, if they only removed the "dead bodies."
The Foreign Secretary made these comments at a Conservative Conference, and his comments have attracted disgust from his colleagues, who have labeled them as "crass, callous and cruel." Discussing progress in stabilizing and rebuilding Libya after years of conflict, Johnson said British investors had a vision to turn the beachside city of Sirte into "the next Dubai." "The only thing they have got to do is clear the dead bodies away," he said.
Backbench Conservative lawmaker Heidi Allen tweeted that Johnson "must be sacked for this," while fellow Tory legislator Sarah Wollaston said she was "appalled." Cabinet colleague Damian Green said the comments were unacceptable, telling Sky News that "everyone, including Boris, needs to be careful in their use of language."
Before making his comment which has drawn disdain, Boris Johnson had some good words for Libya, lavishing some praises on the country. All went wrong when he made the "dead bodies" comment. He said that Libya is an incredible country. "I look at Libya, it is an incredible country," he said.
"Bone-white sands, beautiful sea, Caesar's Palace, obviously, you know, the real one. Incredible place. It's got a real potential and brilliant young people who want to do all sorts of tech. There's a group of UK business people, actually, some wonderful guys who want to invest in Sirte on the coast, near where Gaddafi was captured and executed as some of you may have seen. They have got a brilliant vision to turn Sirte into the next Dubai." And then the "dead bodies" comment was dropped in, and he laughed.
And now Theresa May is facing mounting calls to sack the Foreign Secretary. Heidi Allen was the first Tory MP to call for Johnson to lose his cabinet job over the Libya remarks. She said late on Tuesday that it was “100% unacceptable from anyone, let alone the foreign secretary”, adding: “Boris must be sacked for this. He does not represent my party.” Her Conservative colleague Sarah Wollaston MP joined in the criticism of Johnson, adding: “Demeaning jokes about real people murdered in Libya would be crass even from a standup; appalled to hear this from our foreign secretary.”
Whether Boris Johnson will face the axe or not, what is apparent is that his comments were grossly inappropriate for a person of his post.