Nicola Sturgeon has said that having Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary is bad for the UK’s reputation, branding him “embarrassing”.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, the Scottish first minister was asked what she thought of Johnson representing the UK as its chief diplomat.
She said: “I think it is embarrassing. Every time Boris Johnson opens his mouth he manages to offend somebody.
“There are many things I can and will criticise the Prime Minister about and I am sure there are many things she will criticise me about, that is the nature of politics.
“But I think it is almost unbelievable that the Prime Minister could have Boris Johnson in the position as Foreign Secretary.”
The SNP leader added that she felt that his position as Foreign Secretary was detrimental to the UK’s reputation.
She said: “I was in Ireland last week, in Dublin, talking to a wide range of people across the business community, different people in Ireland and the international reputation of the UK largely because of Brexit but also frankly, to be blunt about this, because of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary is probably lower than it’s been in my time in politics and that is something which should concern all of us.
“I’m sorry to be so blunt but I think Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary is not good for the UK.”
Johnson has most recently came under fire for joking about “dead bodies” getting in the way of businesses investing in Libya after its bloody civil war.
The foreign affairs committee of Libya eastern parliament demanded an apology for his “unacceptable” comments made at a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party conference.
Referring to Libya’s coastal city Sirte, the Foreign Secretary told Tory members: “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.”
Johnson has not apologised, commenting only to criticise those who want to “play politics” after referring to the clearing of booby trapped bodies of Islamic State militants.