- Johnson attacks the lockdown parties committee and Prime Minister Sunak
- He said the committee was determined to find him guilty
- The resignation throws the Conservatives into renewed turmoil
- Labor says public is fed up with ‘Tory soap opera’
LONDON, June 9 (Portal) – Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly resigned from Parliament on Friday in a furious protest at lawmakers’ scrutiny of his conduct, fueling deep divisions in the ruling Conservative Party ahead of next year’s elections anticipated parliamentary elections.
Johnson was under investigation as part of a parliamentary inquiry into misleading the House of Commons about parties at Downing Street breaking lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Johnson received a confidential letter from the committee, he accused lawmakers investigating him of acting like a “kangaroo court” and determined to end his political career.
Johnson accused the committee of engaging in a “political slugfest,” saying in a statement, “I’m being forced out of office by a tiny handful of people with no evidence to support their claims.”
The House’s Privileges Committee — the lawmakers’ primary disciplinary body — had the power to recommend Johnson’s suspension from Parliament. Had the suspension lasted more than 10 days, voters in his constituency could have demanded that he stand for re-election to continue as their representative.
Johnson hinted he could return to politics and said he would leave Parliament “for the time being”.
But the decision to resign could spell the end of his 22-year political career, during which he rose from Parliament to Mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the scales in the 2016 EU referendum in favor of Brexit.
Johnson, whose Prime Ministership was suspended in part due to anger within his own party and across the UK over the breach of COVID rules lockdown parties at his Downing Street office and residence, said the committee had “not a shred of evidence ‘ found against him.
“I’m not the only one who thinks there is a witch hunt going on to take revenge on Brexit and ultimately reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum,” he said. “My removal is the necessary first step and I believe there has been a concerted effort to bring it about.”
The inquiry is led by a senior Labor MP, but the majority of MPs on the committee are Conservatives.
The committee said it will meet on Monday to complete its investigation and will release its report soon. A spokesman for the committee said Johnson had called “the integrity” of Parliament into question by resigning.
ATTACK ON SUNAK
The resignation will trigger a by-election for his west London constituency. It is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s second in a day after Johnson’s ally Nadine Dorries announced her resignation.
Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labor Party, said: “The British public is sick to the back teeth of this never-ending Tory soap opera played at their expense.”
Johnson came to power nearly four years ago and vowed to push through Brexit and save it from the bitter post-referendum dispute of 2016. He shrugged off concerns from some conservatives that his narcissism, failure to go into detail and reputation as a con artist meant he was unfit.
Some Conservatives enthusiastically supported the former journalist, others supported him despite reservations because he was able to appeal to sections of the electorate that normally opposed their party.
This was confirmed in the December 2019 election. But his government’s combative and often chaotic approach to governance and the scandals drained the goodwill of many of his lawmakers. Opinion polls show that he is no longer popular with the general public.
Johnson used his resignation statement on Friday to attack Prime Minister Sunak, whom he blames in part for the end of his government. The men, who had worked closely together during the pandemic, have had a feud since Sunak resigned as Treasury Secretary last summer in protest at Johnson’s leadership.
“When I left office last year, the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now widened massively,” he said.
“Our party urgently needs to regain its momentum and its belief in the potential of this country.”
Edited by David Milliken and Daniel Wallis
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