Boris Johnson, the UK foreign secretary, has bowed to political pressure to fly to the Caribbean to visit the British territories devastated by Hurricane Irma amid continuing criticism of the government’s response to the disaster. He is expected to visit the British Virgin Islands [BVI] and Anguilla, two of the British dependencies worst hit by Irma. Britons stranded in the Caribbean have contrasted the French government preparations and quick response to Irma with the way the UK government has tackled the aid effort. The foreign secretary’s visit also came after billionaire Richard Branson called for a “Marshall Plan” to help the Caribbean recover from the storm. On Monday, he defended the government’s response against claims the UK had done less to evacuate its citizens than other nations.

Source: The Guardian September 12, 2017 07:13 UTC