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Boris Johnson says Libyan city has bright future 'once they clear the dead bodies' Boris Johnson says Libyan city has bright future 'once they clear the dead bodies'
(35 minutes later)
Boris Johnson has prompted outrage after he said a Libyan city could be transformed into the new Dubai “once they clear the dead bodies” away. Boris Johnson has prompted outrage after he said a Libyan city could be transformed into the new Dubai once "they clear the dead bodies" away.
The Foreign Secretary’s off-colour comment drew gasps and shocked laughter from the audience at a global trade fringe event at the annual Conservative conference. The Foreign Secretary’s off-colour comment drew gasps and shocked laughter from the audience at a global trade fringe event at the Conservative conference.
Asked about a recent trip to the North African country, Mr Johnson said: "It's got real potential. Theresa May was urged to sack him for his latest gaffe, which critics said proved that Mr Johnson - arguably the UK's top diplomat - was not fit to represent Britain on the world stage.
Asked about a recent trip to the North African country, Mr Johnson said: "It's got real potential.
"There's a group of UK business people actually, I don't know whether you will have come across this, wonderful guys, who want to invest in Sirte on the coast, near where Gaddafi was actually captured and executed, as some of you may have seen."There's a group of UK business people actually, I don't know whether you will have come across this, wonderful guys, who want to invest in Sirte on the coast, near where Gaddafi was actually captured and executed, as some of you may have seen.
“They have a got brilliant vision to turn Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, into the next Dubai.“They have a got brilliant vision to turn Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, into the next Dubai.
“The only thing they’ve got to do is clear the dead bodies.”“The only thing they’ve got to do is clear the dead bodies.”
Mr Johnson then tried to claim there was “an optimism" in the Libyan city, a former Islamic State stronghold, before the event host quickly moved the subject on. Mr Johnson then tried to claim there was “an optimism" in the Libyan city, a former Islamic State stronghold, before the event host quickly moved the subject on.
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Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry condemned the comments as "unbelievably crass, callous and cruel" after thousands of civilians and hundreds of government soldiers were killed when Sirte was captured from the Islamic State less than a year ago.
She said: "For Boris Johnson to treat those deaths as a joke - a mere inconvenience before UK business people can turn the city into a beach resort - is unbelievably crass, callous and cruel.
"If these words came from the business people themselves, it would be considered offensive enough, but for them to come from the Foreign Secretary is simply a disgrace.
"There comes a time when buffoonery needs to stop, because if Boris Johnson thinks the bodies of those brave government soldiers and innocent civilians killed in Sirte are a suitable subject for throwaway humour, he does not belong in the office of Foreign Secretary."
Her concern was echoed by Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson, who added: "Diplomacy is a basic requirement for the role of Foreign Secretary.