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Boris Johnson claimed he was the “victim of a witch-hunt” as he announced he was resigning as an MP, accusing a Commons investigation into whether he misled parliament over Partygate of attempting to drive him out.
The former prime minister compared the Privileges Committee probe to a “kangaroo court” as he quit.
Calling for the committee’s investigation to be ended, he said he believed it was “determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament”.
But some saw his wording as a hint he would make a comeback and mount a leadership challenge to Rishi Sunak, at whom he also took a swipe.
“It is very sad to be leaving Parliament – at least for now – but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias,” he said.
Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and chair of parliament’s standards committee, described Mr Johnson’s resignation as a “narcissistic rant”.
He also said Mr Johnson “effectively leaked” the inquiry’s findings and suggested he could be hit with a second contempt charge.
Johnson quits over probe into whether he misled parliament
Boris Johnson is resigning as an MP after accusing a Commons investigation into whether he misled Parliament over partygate of attempting to “drive me out”.
The former prime minister, in a statement to the media, compared the Privileges Committee probe to a “kangaroo court” as he announced his intention to step down as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
He said, after receiving a letter from the committee, he believed it was “determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament”.
“It is very sad to be leaving Parliament – at least for now – but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically, by a committee chaired and managed, by Harriet Harman, with such egregious bias,” he said.
The announcement, coming only hours after his resignation honours list had been published, means the Conservatives are likely to face a tough battle to hold onto the London seat at a by-election.
It was the second by-election triggered on Friday following former culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ decision to quit the Commons immediately, rather than wait until the next election.
We are resuming our earlier political coverage, which had been suspended.
Boris Johnson is resigning as an MP after accusing a Commons investigation into whether he misled Parliament over partygate of attempting to “drive me out”.
Talk of Johnson comeback ‘feels Trumpian’ - former spokesman
Talk of Boris Johnson’s return as an MP in the future “feels very Trumpian”, his former spokesman has said.
Will Walden spoke to BBC Radio 4 earlier and also suggested the former PM resigned because he had seen the “writing was on the wall”.
“He knew he probably would lose a by-election in his marginal seat,” Mr Walden said,
“His primary motivation here, as it has been for the last year or so, is protecting his version of the narrative.
"So by going, as he has, all guns blazing, he is able to avoid defeat, he is able to blame pretty much everyone else, including it seems anyone that voted Remain in 2016.”
He added: "There is no plan but he is preparing himself for what might be next without the humiliation of being kicked out.
"But it is so Boris. He told the committee that if they found against him, he wouldn’t respect the outcome - and so it has proved, there is no great surprise here."
Resignation not the end for Johnson - former spokesman
Boris Johnson’s resignation as an MP doesn’t mean the end of his political career, his former spokesman has said.
Will Walden told Radio 4: "I think the most important thing that people need to understand this morning is there is only one thing driving Boris and that is that he likes to win, or at least not to lose.
"And he hasn’t lost an election for 26 years, when the voters of Clwyd South decided he wasn’t their man in 1997.
"I think the first thing to understand is this report clearly threatened to change all that.
"He had seen the writing on the wall, he knew he probably would lose a by-election in his marginal seat. His primary motivation here, as it has been for the last year or so, is protecting his version of the narrative.”
What the papers say - 10 June
Not for the first time, Boris Johnson is dominating UK politics after announcing his resignation last night.
The former prime minister quit after being handed the findings of the Partygate inquiry into whether or not he misled parliament over Covid lockdown breaches.
The news makes most of the front pages. Here’s how some of the papers covered Mr Johnson’s resignation:
Lib Dems call for general election
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said there should be a general election following the resignation of Boris Johnson as an MP.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: "I think there should actually be a general election.
"I think the chaos and division in the Conservative Party, the fact that they’re so out of touch on the cost of living, on the NHS, it means we’ve got to put the country out of its misery with these Conservatives.
"I doubt they’ll do it, because I don’t think they’ve got the courage to do it. But Rishi Sunak should call a general election and, on the back of Boris Johnson’s resignation, let’s get rid of them."
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey on ITV’s Good Morning Britain
(ITV / Good Morning Britain)
Johnson is a ‘coward’ who ‘jumped’ - Rayner
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner told BBC Radio 5 Live: "To me, he is a coward.
"He knows that the Privileges Committee has seen through this fiasco and he has jumped.
"He could have defended himself, he could have gone to his constituents and fought the suspension, and he has decided he is not going to do that because he knows he is in the wrong.
"And he has never apologised to what he has done to the British people... he has basically been gaslighting the nation, and I think he is a disgrace."
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has promised to ban former ministers from lobbying the government for five years as part of a plan to improve transparency and uphold standards in public life. (Peter Byrne/PA)
(PA Wire)
Boris Johnson’s resignation letter - read it in full
Boris Johnson has sensationally resigned as an MP over an investigation into his conduct by the Privileges Committee.
The former prime minister claims he has been anti-democratically forced out of parliament, branding the probe a “hitjob”.
His full resignation statement is below:
The prime minister has quit over a privileges committee investigation into his conduct
Johnson could be hit with second contempt charge for behaviour in past 24 hours - Bryant
Boris Johnson could be hit with an additional contempt of parliament charge for his behaviour over the past 24 hours, the chair of the parliament’s standards committee has said.
The former prime minister announced his resignation last night and effectively pre-empted the findings of the Partygate inquiry, which he described as a “kangaroo court”.
Reports said the inquiry was due to find that he did mislead parliament over Partygate and recommend a lengthy suspension.
“They may want to conclude that there has been an additional contempt of parliament by the way that Boris Johnson has behaved in the past 24 hours,” Chris Bryant told BBC Radio 4.
“And the attacks on the committee…which are an attack on the whole house. I don’t think anybody can be in any doubt now that Boris Johnson holds parliament in contempt”.
(Parliament TV )
Partygate inquiry to be published ‘promptly'
A report into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over his Partygate assurances will be published “promptly” after the former prime minister’s decision to dramatically quit the Commons.
The Commons Privileges Committee said the cross-party panel of MPs will meet on Monday to complete its inquiry.
It comes after Mr Johnson launched a blistering attack on the Conservative-majority committee, comparing it to a “kangaroo court” and a “witch hunt”, as he announced his intention to stand down as an MP and trigger an immediate by-election.
In a statement, a spokesman said: “The committee has followed the procedures and the mandate of the House at all times and will continue to do so.
“Mr Johnson has departed from the processes of the House and has impugned the integrity of the House by his statement.
“The committee will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and to publish its report promptly.”
(PA Wire)
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