Downing Street has rebuked Boris Johnson for saying a war-torn Libyan city only had to “clear the dead bodies away” to become a world-class tourist destination, after Theresa May faced calls from her own MPs to sack him.

A senior Downing Street source said it was a matter for Johnson as to whether he apologised, but added: “We did not feel it was an appropriate choice of words.”

Johnson drew gasps and embarrassed laughter from an audience at a Conservative conference fringe event on Tuesday when, speaking about the potential of Sirte, the Libyan city where Muammar Gaddafi was killed, 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.”

The foreign secretary was criticised by leading Libyan politicians after the remarks were swiftly reported on local websites and social media. Speaking to the Libyan Herald, Salah Shubi, a member of the country’s House of Representatives, said: “It is cruel and unacceptable that the head of British diplomacy speaks and behaves in such a manner.”

Shubi, who is regarded as an ally of the UK because he previously worked at the British Council, asked: “Is this a reflection of the British government’s current views on Libya? Because this is not the UK that I know.”

He added: “Keeping Boris Johnson or sacking him will be the difference between seeking ties and investments in Libya that are built through mutually beneficial partnerships and respectful friendship with Libyans – or built on ‘their dead bodies’ if Boris gets his way!”



Oliver Miles, a former UK ambassador to Libya and deputy chair of the Libyan British Business Council, told the Middle East Eye that Johnson’s remarks were another example of his “inability to keep his mouth shut”.



Miles said: “We have already seen reaction in Libya suggesting that these dead bodies are people who had fought Islamic State and they deserve to be honoured. And it’s exaggerated to say there are lots and lots of companies ready to pour in to Libya. It was silly thing to say. Loose lips in diplomacy don’t pay. We are some way from major UK firms investing in Libya.”

On his last visit to Libya, in August, Johnson announced that the Foreign Office was providing £3m to help the Libyan government clear more than 5,000 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left by Islamic State, particularly from Sirte.

Johnson has visited Libya twice and last month held a conference on the country’s political future, attended by the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

The Libyan government has been struggling for months to clear IEDs left by Isis during the near year-long siege of Sirte by Libyan government forces. The city was seized by Islamic State in March 2015 and recaptured in the second half of 2016 with the help of US airstrikes and forces loyal to the UN-backed government based in Tripoli.

Justice minister Phillip Lee became the first member of the government publicly to condemn Johnson’s remarks. “Why is anyone having a problem condemning these comments?” he asked in a Twitter post. “I do. Anyone decent would.”

Conservative backbenchers Anna Soubry and Sarah Woolaston had earlier described his remarks as embarrassing and “grossly insensitive” and both said he should either be sacked or resign. Soubry, a former Tory minister who sat in cabinet, said Johnson was “embarrassing and the PM should sack him”.

Wollaston said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Johnson’s remarks were “crass, poorly judged and grossly insensitive” and called for him to apologise and “consider his position”.



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



“The reality there is that the clearing of corpses of Daesh fighters has been made much more difficult by IEDs and booby traps. That’s why Britain is playing a key role in reconstruction and why I have visited Libya twice this year in support.”

Johnson dodged further questions about his comments as he was chased by television cameras on Wednesday morning.

Damian Green, the first secretary of state, defended the foreign secretary on Sky News but said he needed to choose his words more carefully.

“I think we all need to be very careful in our choice of language and Boris explained in a series of tweets afterwards the complexity of the situation in Libya, that the bodies he was referring to are often Daesh fighters who have been booby-trapped,” he said.

“We should all be careful in our language in relation to sensitive and difficult situations like Libya … including Boris.”



Green said Johnson had “explained that he wasn’t making a joke” despite the awkward laughter from the audience in the room after the comments.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said he could not defend Johnson’s comments. “It’s not language that we as a government support. Boris is Boris and that was very unfortunate language. I don’t want to defend that,” he told the BBC.

Two senior opposition politicians said the comment was in such bad taste that Johnson was not fit to be foreign secretary.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “There comes a time when the 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.”

Jo Swinson, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “Diplomacy is a basic requirement for the role of foreign secretary. This latest unbelievably crass and insensitive comment about an issue of such importance is further proof Boris is not up to the job. May needs to get her house in order and sack him.”

• This article was amended on 5 October 2017 because an earlier version referred to Anna Soubry as a former Tory cabinet minister.

