Sadiq Kahn: Boris Johnson 'has to go'
Screengrab/BBC
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson should resign in a BBC interview with Andrew Marr on Sunday.
- Johnson has made a series of gaffes that have offended Libyans, Americans, the Spanish, and others.
- The foreign secretary should clarify a statement he made in parliament which was used as evidence against a British woman serving a five-year jail sentence in Iran.
- Khan believes Theresa May would have fired Johnson a long time ago if she was a strong prime minister.
LONDON (Reuters) - London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to resign, speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday, after a series of gaffes which Khan said had offended Libyans, Americans, the Spanish, and others.
An Iranian court recently used Johnson's words as evidence against a British woman serving a five-year jail sentence in Iran after she was arrested in Tehran airport in April 2016 for reasons not yet known.
In November, Johnson told a parliamentary committee that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been detained in Iran because she was teaching journalism. Johnson's words were used as evidence against Zaghari-Ratcliffe when she appeared in an Iranian court on November 4. She now faces another five years being added to her prison sentence.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has repeatedly insisted that she was on holiday in Iran when arrested, and her husband and employers have said Johson's remark was false.
"I think it's important for Boris Johnson to clarify the huge error he made," Khan told Marr. Johnson "has to go," Khan said.
Khan brought up a string of other blunders made by the foreign minister, including a quip Johnson made in early October that the Libyan city of Sirte could be turned into the next Dubai by British investors if they could clear the bodies. Johnson refused to apologise for his comments, claiming his conference remarks illustrated "the reality" of life in Libya.
The London mayor also referenced comments that Johnson made about former US President Barack Obama in April 2016. Johnson, while trying to gather support for a British exit from the European Union, claimed that Obama harboured an "ancestral dislike of the British empire" because he is "part Kenyan."
"If Theresa May was a strong prime minister, she would have sacked him a long time ago," Khan told Marr.
Khan's comments follow a column from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in The Observer, calling for Johnson to fired.
"We've put up with Johnson embarrassing and undermining our country with his incompetence and colonial throwback views and putting our citizens at risk for long enough. It's time for him to go," Corbyn wrote.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market