BORIS JOHNSON SACKED FOR LIBYA?

http://www.thenational.scot/news/15575096.SNP_call_for_Boris_Johnsons_resignation_over_shock_Libya_comment/SNP call for Boris Johnson's resignation over shock Libya comment

THE SNP have backed calls for Boris Johnson to be sacked after he said that a war-torn Libyan city only has to “clear the dead bodies away” to become a world-class tourist and business destination.

Stephen Gethins, the party's foreign affairs spokesman urged the Prime Minister to take action after comments made by the gaff-prone Foreign Secretary at the Tory party conference last night.

"The UK government bears a particular responsibility for the situation in Libya given its failure to plan the aftermath of military action in 2011," said Gethins.

"The humanitarian disaster that has unfolded in the country since that intervention is rightly seen as one of this governments worst foreign policy failures."

He added: "The Foreign Secretary’s lack of grasp of this dire situation shows that he is completely unfit for the office."

Gethins's remarks follow calls from Tory backbenchers and by Labour to sack Johnson who has been accused over the past few days of undermining May's position on Brexit.

Last night Johnson was accused by Labour of being “unbelievably crass, callous and cruel” about those who died in the battle to reclaim Sirte from Islamic State (Isis), after he was asked at the Conservative party conference what it was like visiting Libya as foreign secretary.

Speaking about the potential of Sirte, the Libyan city where Muammar Gaddafi was killed, Johnson drew gasps and embarrassed laughter from the audience as he said: “There’s a group of UK business people, 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.

“And they literally have a brilliant vision to turn Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, to turn it into the next Dubai.

“The only thing they’ve got to do is clear the dead bodies away and then they’ll be there.”

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 stand-up; appalled to hear this from our foreign secretary.”

This morning Wollaston said on the BBC’s Today Programme that Johnson’s remarks were “crass, poorly judged and grossly insensitive” and said that he should apologise and “consider his position”.

But instead of apologising, Johnson took to Twitter late on Tuesday night to attack his critics. “Shame people with no knowledge or understanding of Libya want to play politics with the appallingly dangerous reality in Sirte,” he tweeted.