Boris Johnson's remarks about two Sussex seaside resorts have prompted a storm of criticism. But, as Andy Tate discovers, there is little sign of an apology from the political clown who has made a career out of upsetting others.

Say what you like about Boris Johnson – but he has a formidable talent for offending people.

With his long list of aggrieved targets already including the people of Liverpool, Portsmouth, Papua New Guinea, Norway and anti-racism campaigners, not to forget TV chef Jamie Oliver, it was surely only a matter of time before Sussex came into his firing line.

But while the gaffe-prone London Mayor has issued grovelling apologies on more than one occasion, he appeared to rule out a “sorry” for Sussex residents after giving the thumbs down to Bognor and Eastbourne and a host of other British tourist destinations.

The ex-Tory MP, best known for his appearances on Have I Got News For You? on TV, wrote in a national newspaper that “whatever happens” he would be steering clear of two of the county’s top resorts and opting for a foreign holiday this year.

Indeed, he said, it was his “patriotic duty” to find a destination “as sunny and foreign as possible”.

He wrote: “Some time before the end of August I will grab a week’s leave, like a half-starved sea lion snatching an airborne mackerel, and whatever happens, that leave will not be taken in some boarding house in Eastbourne. It will not take place in Cornwall or Scotland or the Norfolk Broads. I say stuff Skegness. I say bugger Bognor.”

Mr Johnson’s comments prompted a predictable wave of criticism from Tory colleagues and Labour and Lib Dem opponents, who decried his “cheap shot” and called on him to come to the county to apologise in person, as he did to Liverpool after publishing disparaging comments about the city four years ago.

Some Argus readers were relaxed about Mr Johnson’s latest diplomatic blunder, saying they saw the funny side.

But others appeared as angry as the county’s political leaders, who consider the mayor’s dismissal of domestic holidays uninformed and out of date.

One comment on The Argus’s website read: “Why does buffoon Boris think it is OK to insult just about everything and everybody who he sees as ‘beneath’ him?

“He is a dinosaur who doesn’t care about anything or anybody other than himself. A typical Tory toff of the worst type who sees the rest of us as plebs.”

Sussex MPs from along the South Coast joined in the criticism of Mr Johnson, whose attempt to portray British holidays as second class have been attacked by Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson and Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP Nick Gibb – both Tories – as “cheap” and “wrong” respectively.

David Lepper, MP for Brighton Pavilion, told The Argus: “It’s narrow-minded of him. If he came to the Sussex coast, particularly to Brighton and Hove, he would find an excellent combination of traditional seaside attractions such as the pier and beach, and also a whole range of restaurants, clubs and entertainment.

“There are even cycle lanes for him to ride his bike on.” Mr Lepper pointed out that plenty of people – many millions a year – head to the Sussex coast to visit resorts that had been “smartening themselves up” over recent years in response to competition from Europe.

He said: “Boris can be a very amusing chap but he does tend to say the first thing that comes into his head. I’m not sure that’s always wise in a senior politician.

He will have a lot of people working in London – perhaps some of them in his own administration – who commute from the Sussex coast every day and will have been offended.”

Michael Foster, MP for Hastings and Rye, said: “I note he hasn’t mentioned Hastings but we wouldn’t want him here anyway.

Boris Johnson in town would frighten the horses. His comments are uninformed but that’s not surprising because he’s pretty uninformed about most things.

“He’s an amusing character but as a politician and a diplomat he leaves much to be desired.”

Mr Johnson’s office refused requests for a response to the row. A spokeswoman said: “It’s a weekly column. There is a lot of text. He’s not going to add to that.”

Perhaps he will choose to answer his critics in his next newspaper column, a lucrative gig he juggles alongside his mayoral duties. While Mr Johnson’s willingness to insult may be disheartening to small businesses in Sussex and embarrassing to his own party, it is proving a neat strategy for boosting his bank balance.

His weekly articles reportedly earn him £250,000 a year, on top of his mayoral salary of £137,000.

Where's the best place for a break in Sussex? Tell us below.