LONDON (AP) – Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked Britain by resigning as lawmaker on Friday after being told he would face sanctions for misleading Parliament. He resigned in a tirade against his political opponents – and against his successor Rishi Sunak – that could openly inflame tensions within the ruling Conservative Party.
Johnson resigned after receiving the results of a lawmakers’ probe into misleading statements he had made to Parliament about “Partygate,” a series of government parties that broke rules during the pandemic.
In a lengthy resignation statement, Johnson accused his opponents of wanting to oust him – and hinted he might try to return.
“It is very sad to leave Parliament – at least for the time being,” he said.
Johnson said he “received a letter from the Privileges Committee which, to my great astonishment, made it clear that they were determined to use the case against me to oust me from Parliament.”
He called the committee investigating him a “kangaroo court.”
“Their goal from the start was to find me guilty, regardless of the facts,” Johnson said.
The resignation will trigger a special election to replace Johnson as lawmaker for a seat in suburban London.
Johnson, whose career has been a rollercoaster of scandals and comebacks, led the Conservatives to a landslide victory in 2019 but was ousted by his own party less than three years later.
He had been awaiting the outcome of an inquiry by a House of Commons norms committee into misleading statements he had made to Parliament about a series of gatherings at government buildings in 2020 and 2021 that broke pandemic lockdown rules.
Police eventually issued 126 fines for the late-night soirees, boisterous parties and “wine-time Fridays,” including one on Johnson, and the scandal helped hasten the end of his tenure as prime minister.
Johnson has admitted to misleading Parliament by assuring lawmakers no rules had been broken, but said he did not do so on purpose.
He told the committee that he “sincerely believes” that the five events he attended, including a staff member’s farewell and his own surprise birthday party, were “legal work gatherings” designed to Boost morale among overworked employees grappling with a deadly pandemic.
The committee was expected to release its report in the next few weeks, and Johnson could have faced a suspension from the House of Commons if it was found that he had lied willfully.
By resigning, he avoids a suspension that could have resulted in his voters ousting him from his seat in the House of Commons, allowing him to stand again for Parliament. His resignation statement indicated that he was considering that option. She has been extremely critical of Sunak, who served as Treasury Secretary in Johnson’s administration before resigning along with many other colleagues in July 2022 – resignations that forced Johnson to resign.
“Just a few years after winning the largest majority in nearly half a century, that majority is now clearly in jeopardy,” Johnson said. “Our party urgently needs to regain its momentum and its belief in the potential of this country.”
Johnson resigned hours after King Charles III. rewarded loyal Johnson aides and allies with knighthoods and other honours, a political tradition for former prime ministers that drew cries of nepotism from opponents of the ousted leader.