Britain's Boris Johnson lands in hot water again over Libya comments

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Libya can become a new Dubai if it can clear the dead bodies away, the latest gaffe by Britain's top diplomat.

Johnson, who has offended several allies with his flippant remarks before, told Conservative Party members that the Libyan city of Sirte could be turned into the next Dubai by British investors if they managed to get one thing right.

"They've got a brilliant vision to turn Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, to turn it into the next Dubai," Johnson said. 

"The only thing they've got to do is clear the dead bodies away and then we will be there."

Britain and France played a leading role in the attacks that helped rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. 

The country has since descended into an ongoing civil war, with thousands of casualties mounting.

In a series of late night posts on Twitter, Johnson said he was referring to clearing trapped bodies of Daesh fighters.

When asked about Johnson's comments, first secretary of state Damian Green said all ministers need to be careful with their language when dealing with sensitive issues. But he refrained from directly criticising the foreign minister.

The opposition Labour Party's spokeswoman for foreign affairs, Emily Thornberry, said Johnson's joke was shameful and questioned whether May would take any action to reprimand him.

Britain's ambassador to Myanmar was forced to interrupt Johnson earlier this year as he tried to recite a nostalgic colonial poem by Rudyard Kipling in public during a visit to the country's most famous Buddhist site.