Boris Johnson quits MP with blast at Partygate inquiry – Reuters

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stepping down as an MP with immediate effect.

Johnson made the decision while taking part in an investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee, which is looking into whether the former Prime Minister knowingly misled Parliament about parties breaking COVID rules held in Downing Street .

The resignation of Johnson, the Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, will trigger a by-election to a seat he held in 2019 by 7,210 votes.

In a statement, Johnson said the committee – whose findings have not yet been released but which may recommend a suspension of the Commons – has “still not produced any evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled ” MPs.

He added: ‘They know full well that when I spoke in the Commons I was saying what I sincerely believed to be true and what I had been instructed to say, like any other minister. They know that I corrected the file as soon as possible; and they know that I and all the other senior officials and ministers – including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak – believed that we were working together legally.

“I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously. I didn’t lie, and I think deep down the Committee knows it. But they deliberately chose to ignore the truth because, from the outset, their aim was not to find out the truth, or to truly understand what I had in mind when I spoke to the Commons.

“Their goal from the start has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. That’s the very definition of kangaroo court.

Replying, a spokesman for the privileges committee said the group of MPs had “followed the procedures and mandate of the House at all times and will continue to do so”.

They added: “Mr. Johnson has deviated from House processes and challenged the integrity of the House with his statement. The commission will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and issue its report expeditiously.