Boris Johnson to visit Caribbean following criticism over UK response to hurricane
1 min read
Boris Johnson is to fly to the Caribbean to visit British territories devastated by Hurricane Irma.
The Foreign Secretary is set to visit the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, both of which have suffered severe damage at the hands of the storm.
Mr Johnson will spend “the coming days” in the region to see the relief effort first hand.
The Foreign Office’s announcement that he will spend the "coming days" in the islands comes after severe criticism of the UK Government’s response.
Yesterday, the Shadow Development Secretary Kate Osamor called for Mr Johnson or Theresa May to visit the affected area.
She said Mrs May should “look [those affected] in the eye and put their concerns at the centre of her Government’s response plan”.
But Mr Johnson yesterday rejected claims that the UK was too slow to join the aid effort.
He said: “This is a very big consular crisis and I am confident we are doing everything we possibly can to help British nationals.”
Some £32 million worth of aid has already been released and Mr Johnson said further support would soon be made available.
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