UK ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns as MP

Former prime minister accuses a parliamentary inquiry into the COVID-19 ‘Partygate’ scandal of driving him out.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as a Member of Parliament.

Johnson, 58, said he was stepping down with immediate effect on Friday, triggering “an immediate by-election” in his fringe seat, adding political pressure to his successor Rishi Sunak.

Johnson had fought for his political future with a parliamentary inquiry into whether he had misled the House of Commons when he said all COVID-19 rules were being followed.

Parliament’s Privilege Committee had the power to recommend that Johnson be suspended from parliament for more than 10 days if they were found to have recklessly or deliberately misled parliament, possibly leading to an election for his seat.

Johnson said he had received a letter from the “privileges committee which – to my surprise – makes it clear that they are determined to use the procedure against me to drive me out of parliament”.

“I am being coerced by a small handful of people, with no evidence to support their claims, and no approval even from members of the Conservative Party, let alone the wider electorate,” Johnson said in a statement.

“It is very sad to leave parliament – at least for now – but most of all I am stunned and appalled that I may be forced to.”

Johnson, whose tenure as prime minister was cut short in part by anger in his own party and across the UK over COVID rule-breaking lockdown parties at his office and residence in Downing Street, accused the committee of acting out “the definition of a kangaroo job” .

“Most members of the committee – especially the chairman – had already made deeply biased comments about my guilt before they even saw the evidence,” he said.

“In hindsight, it was naive and trusting of me to think that this procedure could be even remotely helpful or fair.”

Johnson also used his resignation statement to attack Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“When I left office last year, the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now widened enormously,” he said.

“Our party urgently needs to regain its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do.”